Through The Pages
by SerenBex
Summary: First in a series. Evie's just an ordinary girl who's bored with a slow pace of her life. Until the Doctor arrives, promising adventure. When she finds herself in the life of the Bennet sisters, have they fallen into the novel, or is it something else?
1. Chapter 1

Evie sighed as she walked out of the front door. Clutching the shopping list in her hand, she started along the winding country lane towards the village. Her grandmother was on a baking spree for the Church fete and she'd sent her older granddaughter out to buy more supplies.

As she rounded a corner she came face to face with a large truck trying to drive along the narrow lanes. Evie sighed and waited until the driver had manoeuvred properly around the bend, before squeezing into the hedge as he passed, almost flattening her toes in the process.

Before the eighteen-year-old had come to live in the sleepy Shropshire countryside with her grandparents, she and her younger sisters had lived with their parents in London. Sadly, their parents, Mike and Angie, had been killed in a car crash five years earlier, leaving thirteen-year-old Evie, eight-year-old Millie and four-year-old Erin to be taken in by their grandparents on their farm.

After the twenty minute walk, Evie arrived at the village shop – the only one for several miles. The elderly owner smiled at her as she entered, making the bell tinkle as the door opened. The teenager returned her smile and set about gathering the things on her list. When she'd found everything, she took them to the counter.

"Mornin', Evie." Mrs Evans said with a smile. "How's your Nan and Grandad?"

"Fine thank you, Mrs Evans." Evie nodded politely. "Nan's on a baking spree for the fete."

"Ohhh! I hope she's making some of her famous meringues. And what are you doing in the fete? I heard Millie and Erin are part of the Queen's procession."

Evie nodded, almost embarrassed. "Yeah… they're ladies in waiting. They're so excited. I'm not doing anything… well… I think Granddad wants me to help with the animals when he brings them down for the competition, but apart from that…"

The teenager wished, as she did every day, that she could get away and go back to the city. Country life didn't agree with her. Everyone knew everything that was going on which, in such a small place, was generally nothing at all. She sighed and said goodbye, making her way back towards the farm.

"Hey!" There was aloud roaring sound behind her, which Evie easily identified as a tractor. If she had been pushed, she was horrified to realise that she might even be able to go into further detail; make, model, etc. This put her in a bad mood as she turned around and looked at the driver.

"Alright, Sam?" She asked the boy who was driving it. Sam was the first person who'd done his best to make her feel at home when she'd arrived in Lower Appley after her parents' deaths. He, along with her best friends Poppy and Sarah, had been the people who'd kept her sane.

"Yeah… you going the fete tomorrow?" He asked. Evie sighed, but nodded. Everything seem to revolve around the stupid Church fete. It did her head in that everyone was getting so wrapped up in such a boring event. "Cool… I gotta shift this lot to the lower field for Dad, but I'll see you there."

As the tractor rumbled off, Evie stood and watched she sighed again, wishing that something more interesting would happen. As she looked left to check there was nothing coming – she always did it out of habit, 99% of the time the roads were completely clear – she caught sight of a tall, dark haired man watching her interestedly on the corner of the green. He was leaning against the huge sign advertising the fete with an amused smile on his face. Evie glanced right and, when she looked back the man had gone. Confused as to where he was and how he had moved so quickly, the teenager headed back to the farm in a daze.

x

"Eviiieeee!" Millie called from her bedroom window. Her older sister looked up from the bucket of chicken feed at her feet and put her hands on her hips, brushing her hair off her face with a dirty hand. Realising what she'd done, Evie sighed and groaned.

"What's up, kid?" She shouted back. Millie was leaning worryingly out of the window, one hand wrapped around the trellis that helped the roses to grow up the side of the farm house.

"I need you to come and curl my hair for me! And Erin needs you to help with her dress." The thirteen-year-old told her. "There's three hours to the fete and we have to be there in an hour and a half!"

Evie smiled and shook her head. "Gimme half an hour and I'll do it." She promised. Before she could even think about helping her younger sisters, she had to finish feeding the chickens, collect the eggs and have a shower.

As she went about her work, which was technically Erin's as they were the easiest on the farm and she was the baby, Evie daydreamed about a totally different life. She missed the lights and hustle and bustle and noise of the city. Out here, apart from the house lights, night time was pitch black. Her younger sisters had been too young when their parents died to really appreciate the culture shock of moving from a London townhouse to a Shropshire farmhouse. They loved the life and had absolutely no desire to go into the city. Maybe it would change as they got older, but somehow Evie doubted it.

"I'm ready…" Evie said almost fourty-five minutes later, rubbing her dark hair with a towel. She never bothered to dry it properly; she'd recently had it cut short and now it was just long enough to be tied into a stubby ponytail and that was how it generally was kept under control.

Millie handed her the hair straighteners and sat patiently as Evie went to work on her long, mousy brown hair. It was quite thin, unlike her older sisters, so reasonably quick and easy to curl, although it took a lot of hairspray to keep it in place. When Millie's hair was done, Evie moved onto Erin, whose hair, somewhere between her sisters' in colour and thickness, was harder to tackle. The nine-year-old was also far more reluctant to sit and be patient as Evie curled her hair.

"Evie!" The teenager jumped as her grandfather called up the stairs. She handed Millie the hot device, warning her not to move, and went to the landing, looking over the banisters at the tanned, weather-beaten face of Steven Carmichael. "Can you come and help me… we need to brush Betty ready for the competition."

"I'll be right down, I'm just getting the girls ready." She said with a smile. Her grandfather nodded and smiled.

"Good luck."

Evie retreated to her sisters' bedroom and took over the straighteners. She rushed through the rest of Erin's curls, applying liberal quantities of hairspray. She smiled at the girls, giving each a quick kiss on the tips of their noses.

"You look beautiful." She assured them. "You can use my makeup, but not too much or I'm taking it off."

Millie groaned, but as they went off to raid her dressing table Evie knew they'd be sensible. She trusted her younger sisters, both of whom were far more interested in horses and chickens and other farming things than makeup and boys; at the moment, anyway.

Outside, her grandfather had tied the cow in the yard, leaving the brushes on the old stone mounting steps for her. Patting the docile old animal on her nose, Evie started brushing. After a while, she was gleaming, the black and white patches almost shining in the sunlight. Evie, on the other hand, was sweating and, with a sigh she realised she'd need another shower before she went out. Knowing that she was still probably going to be asked to wash the dogs before the dog show, she decided to leave getting herself sorted until the last minute.


	2. Chapter 2

Finally Evie found herself standing on the village green with her grandparents waiting for the fete Queen's procession to come in so she could wave to her sisters. Lynn, her grandmother, had forbidden her husband from asking their oldest granddaughter to help with the animal events. Evie was grateful because she could hang out with her friends instead.

As they waited beside the craft stand, Evie suddenly realised that the man from yesterday was watching her again. It was slightly creepy. This time she refused to look away so that he couldn't disappear again. He was quite good-looking, she decided, and wearing a pin striped suit and long brown mac with converse. It was a strange outfit, but Evie had to admit that it looked good.

"Here they are!" Lynn exclaimed proudly, making her granddaughter jump. In the split second that she moved her gaze to the street, the man had vanished again. Evie was totally confused. There was nowhere he could have hidden in that short time.

"Where did he go?" She muttered.

"Hmmm? Who, sweetheart?" Lynn asked looking at her distractedly.

"Oh… no one…" Evie said slowly. Lynn put an arm round her shoulders and they directed their attention back towards the float moving slowly towards them. Evie smiled as she saw her younger sisters side by side next to the Fete Queen, who happened to be one of the teenager's best friends, Sarah Baker.

Grinning as Sarah gave her a massive wink, Evie gave her grandmother a kiss on the cheek and walked slowly towards her as she jumped down. Sarah lifted Erin down before helping Millie off the float as well. Evie gave them both a tight hug as her friend spoke.

"They were my best ladies in waiting! Absolutely gorgeous!" She said grinning. Evie's sisters grinned back before running over to their grandparents. "They loved it!"

"I bet they did." Evie agreed, linking her arm through her friend's and walking slowly away from the float. "And I bet you did, too?" Sarah grinned and laughed. Evie envied her; she was tall, skinny, blonde and effortlessly beautiful. All the guys were crazy about her, but she didn't even notice.

"Who's that guy?" Sarah asked suddenly, pointing over to the phone box on the corner of the green. Evie was stunned to realise it was her guy, that was what she'd started referring to him as in her head, watching her again.

"I dunno… I've seen him a couple of times, but every time I look away, even for a split second, he's gone. I was starting to think I was seeing things." She was immensely relieved that her friend had seen his as well.

"He's cute…" Sarah giggled as Poppy, their other friend joined them, closely followed by Sam. Like Sarah, Poppy was blonde but her hair was a darker blonde than her friend's. Sam was as dark as Evie. All three of Evie's friends, like so many people in the area, lived on farms but they, unlike her, had known nothing else and quite liked the life.

"Who's cute?" Poppy asked, looking around for whoever the girls were talking about. Sam, who the three girls were almost sure was gay, tried surreptitiously looking around as well, without them noticing. Sarah, Poppy and Evie exchanged a look, eyebrows raised at this, but didn't comment knowing how sensitive he could be.

"Never mind." Evie said with a sigh, realising that, once again, her guy had vanished. "No one important."

x

As the sun was setting, Evie waited for her granddad to finish his conversation and his beer. Her Nan had taken the girls home and Evie had offered to wait for Steven, to make sure that he made it in one piece. Betty, the cow, had been awarded first place in her class at the dogs, Jett and Casper, had also won their classes, so her Granddad was celebrating with his friends. She leant back on the bench, watching the last few people at the fete milling around. Her friends had all gone home so she was left to her own thoughts.

"Hello." A voice said beside her. Evie nearly jumped out of her skin at the proximity of whoever had spoken. She turned and set eyes on her guy.

"What the… you nearly gave me a heart attack." She said staring at him in astonishment. Closer up he was even more good-looking than she'd thought. Self-consciously Evie pulled at her top, making herself more presentable. Her guy grinned.

"Sorry… I'm the Doctor." He held out his hand. Giving him an odd look, Evie shook it hesitantly.

"I'm Evie, Evie Jones." She said slowly, not sure why she'd told him that. She was usually incredibly suspicious of strangers. That's what growing up in London did to you, she supposed. "The Doctor? Doctor who?"

"Exactly." He said, making her even more confused. "Nice to meet you Evie Jones. I've already had a Jones, Martha. Martha Jones. Didn't think I'd have another one so soon, but there we go! Well when I say soon… I sort of had Astrid since Martha… but she doesn't really count. Donna does though, Donna definitely counts."

Evie looked around her, wondering what on earth was happening. The man, the Doctor, was rambling away to himself and not making a lot of sense. Her Granddad had another full pint in front of him now and didn't look like he was in any rush to get home."

"What are you talking about?" She asked the man, shaking her head.

"Listen, Evie Jones. I need your help."

"Why?" The teenager asked in disbelief. "How can I help you? Why should I help you? I don't even know you."

"Oh, Evie, Evie, Evie!" He said standing up and taking her hand. "There is so much you don't know!"

Without realising it, Evie let herself be led away from the bench. She couldn't explain why, but there was something about the Doctor that she trusted. He gave out a kind of aura that made her want to be close to him. She didn't even complain as he started running, pulling her along behind him.

"Why me, though? What's so special about me?"

"Everything!" He laughed.

They reached a small blue telephone box. It was so old fashioned that Evie couldn't believe no one had spotted it before now. It was right next to the pub, in front of the post office; not exactly hidden away. But she had never seen it before. Wondering why they'd stopped beside it, Evie watched the Doctor pull a key out of his pocket and fit it into the lock.

"Wait here a second." He said, opening the door and slipping inside. Curiosity took over, however, and the teenager opened the door and poked her head inside, expecting to see a regular phone box. What she saw, however, made her breath catch in her chest.

"What on earth…" Inside the phone box was a… she wasn't sure what it was exactly. There were flashing lights and a lot of levers and buttons around a central pole that seemed to be pulsing with blue lights. She gasped and retreated, blinking and shaking her head. "You're asleep, Evie. That's all."

Carefully Evie looked inside again. Outside the blue box was small… maybe big enough for a couple of people to stand upright inside. Inside, however, the thing was massive. How was that even possible?

"Welcome to the TARDIS." The Doctor said with a grin, holding out his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Evie took his hand again, not really sure why. The Doctor gave it a quick squeeze before turning and fiddling with some dials on the control panel in front of him. The teenage girl walked slowly around, touching the TARDIS lightly with her fingertips.

"What's a TARDIS?" She asked in confusion.

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space." He explained simply. Evie nodded, but didn't have a clue what he was talking about. She decided that she should think he was mad and run as fast as she could in the opposite direction but she knew she wouldn't. The teenager felt totally safe with this strange, impossible man.

"Right." She hesitated, wondering what he was expecting of her. He'd said he needed her help, but he hadn't told her what for. "How can _I_ help _you_? I mean… you have this… TARDIS thing and you've obviously got amazing state of the art technology and stuff and I live on a farm with my grandparents and little sisters… I mean, look at my phone." She held out her phone which had obviously seen better days; it didn't even have a camera.

"Exactly." He said with a grin, leaving Evie even more confused than she had been, if that was possible. He glanced at her and realised that she was totally bewildered. The Doctor smiled at her; Evie thought she was going to melt. "I watched you; you don't fit in round here."

"Thanks." She said sarcastically.

"No!" He told her quickly, holding up his hands. "That's a good thing. There's something special about you, Evie Jones." The teenager blushed at his words but shook her head, not believing him. "I mean it… there's something about you… I can't put my finger on it."

She shrugged and sat on the step, looking up at him. She smiled.

"So… what do you want me to do?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Come with me." He said simply. He didn't look very hopeful that she'd accept his request.

"What do you do?" She asked. He looked a little confused. That obviously wasn't the reaction he was expecting. Then his face relaxed and he looked pleased that she hadn't refused outright.

"I save the world."

The teenager laughed. "Whatever."

"No, seriously… I go after aliens, well, alien species that are trying to harm other species or their planets. It mainly tends to be humans I'm protecting… no one else out there really seems to like you lot."

Evie stared at him, completely stunned. Strangely, she believed him, which didn't make any sense. The teenager considered him for a moment. He was a complete stranger; she knew absolutely nothing about him, not even his name. Surely he couldn't be called The Doctor? Going anywhere with him, even into this TARDIS, was complete madness. It was everything they'd always been told not to do. 'Don't go off with strangers.'

But there was something about this man that had instantly attracted Evie to him. She shouldn't feel safe, relaxed and completely happy, but she did. She felt like she finally belonged somewhere.

"So why d'you need me?" She asked.

"It gets lonely." He admitted with a shrug. "Having a companion helps and… well… they tend to keep me human."

"Keep you human? You mean… you're an alien?" Her mouth dropped open in surprise. He didn't look anything like the aliens she'd seen in films and on TV. He looked completely normal.

"Yep. I'm actually a Time Lord." He told her matter of factly. She raised her eyebrows, questioningly. "A Lord of Time. Here…" He took hold of her hand and placed it on his chest.

A shiver of electricity shot up the teenager's arm as she felt his heart beat against her palm. He moved her hand over to the other side of his chest. A second heart was thumping just as ferociously as the first. She stared at him, her eyes big and astonished.

"Two hearts." He confirmed.

"Alright." She said simply, her hand still on his chest. "I'll come."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment before his face split into a broad grin.

"Alright! Good… Excellent!" He started flicking controls and fiddling with levers. "Let's get going."

"Hang on!" Evie exclaimed quickly. "We can't just go!"

"Why not?"

"I've got a family… they'll be so worried if I just disappear!"

"It's fine." The Doctor assured her with a broad grin. "This machine travels in space AND time. They'll never even know you've gone."

Evie hesitated for a split second before nodding. "Alright then, let's go fight some aliens!" Then she stopped. "Wait… we're going in this?"

She didn't have time to demand an explanation before there was a curious noise and she was thrown sideways as the TARDIS jolted. The Doctor laughed and pulled her to her feet quickly.

"Hold on." He advised putting a hand on her waist to steady her. Evie smiled up at him as their eyes met for a split second before he was off messing around with the controls again.

x

The TARDIS landed with a bump. The Doctor jumped across to the door and eagerly wrenched it open, looking outside excitedly. After a moment, Evie joined him, trying to see outside. All she could see were hedges, trees and fields.

"Have we actually moved?" She asked, disappointedly. From the look of it they hadn't, although quite what Evie expected to see she wasn't entirely sure. She still didn't know what a TARDIS was or did.

"Yeah!" The Doctor told her looking around, his face screwed up as though he wasn't entirely sure whether they had or not. Pulling Evie out of the TARDIS, he locked it and they looked around curiously. The seemed to be in a town, not dissimilar to the village they'd just left. It was a little bigger, but not much.

Evie took a few steps away from the blue box and noticed a shop. Walking towards it, she tried to see inside, maybe to find out where they were, if nothing else. She cupped her hands together and pressed her face to the glass looking inside.

It was a clothing shop of some kind. Evie could see hats laid carefully out on tables and display stands, and rolls of material propped along the walls. On the counter were various colours of ribbons, broaches, pins and all manner of things that Evie had never thought about shopping for before.

Suddenly she realised that a face was watching her, a mixture of astonishment and confusion on it. The teenager leapt away from the window as the bonnet wearing figure headed towards the door. She opened it and emerged into the street, regarding Evie with as much perplexity as Evie was looking at her. The girl, who was wearing a floor skimming dress, complete with a tight bodice, was staring at Evie's knee-length, light blue denim shorts, strappy top and flip-flops.

"Where on earth did you get those clothes?" She asked Evie.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Please R&R because I'm not sure whether to carry on with this or not… If I don't get any comments I'm going to assume that it's not worth continuing, so please let me know what you think!**_

"Ahh!" The Doctor said appearing at Evie's side. "We've been to a costume ball." He said shooting the teenager a wide-eyed look and an almost unnoticeable shrug. "We were on our way home when our coach driver forced us out and drove off with all of our possessions, except our costumes." He explained. Evie nodded, playing along with his story.

"It was terrible." She agreed. "The… brute."

The Doctor shot her a look, his face screwed up as though he couldn't believe she'd said that. Evie shrugged at him and smiled at the girl who was watching them, still bewildered.

"Oh…" She said after a moment. Then she broke into a broad smile, their flimsy excuse obviously accepted. "I am Miss Lydia Bennet. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Evie's mouth dropped open. She'd studied Pride and Prejudice for GCSE and, although she hadn't paid much attention, she remembered enough to know that one of the characters in the book was called Lydia Bennet. Surely it was just a coincidence. Wasn't it?

"The pleasure is all ours, Miss Bennet." The Doctor said, taking her hand and kissing it graciously. "I am the Doctor and this is Miss Evie Jones."

"Oh!" Lydia said, suddenly more interested in the pair. "_Miss_ Jones? I had assumed that you and she…" She looked between the pair, who exchanged a look. "So…"

"She is my younger sister." The Doctor said suddenly eager to avoid any scandal in the early nineteenth century countryside. Evie looked at him at these words, smirking slightly.

"Ah! I see the resemblance." Lydia said with a nod, a comment that greatly amused her new acquaintances. "So, Doctor Jones, where are you and Miss Jones intending to stay, for I assume you will at least spend one night in Meryton before heading back to… wherever it is you are from?"

Evie had to hand it to the girl; she was incredibly nosy, but managed to get away with it by veiling her questions within the rest of her speech. Not wanting to say anything, in case she was wrong, the teenager left the talking to her 'brother'.

"Indeed, Miss Bennet. I was just saying to my sister that this seems such a nice place that we should take some time to… look around… before we head back to London. Summer in the city is never as nice as summer in the country, is it?"

"Well, then you'll be staying at the Meryton Arms?"

"Indeed." The Doctor said beaming.

"And you'll be attending the Assembly tonight? Mr Bingley of Netherfield Park is supposed to be bringing a party of twelve ladies and seven gentlemen with him from Town. Do you know Mr Bingley, Doctor Jones?" Lydia gushed.

Evie was glad that the Doctor was doing the talking, because she felt like she was about to faint. Lydia Bennet, Netherfield Park, Mr Bingley… had they really arrived in a novel? It didn't make sense at all.

"No, I haven't actually met him." The Doctor said noticing how pale his companion had gone. "But I've heard a lot about him. Now, if you'd care to point me in the direction of the inn, I think my sister could do with a sit down."

x

"Are you seriously telling me we've fallen into a book?" Evie half-ranted at the Doctor. He grinned.

"Great, isn't it?" He asked, looking out of the window. "Ahhh! I love this time… it's so… fancy!"

"But… why?" Evie asked, joining him at the window. People were milling about in the street, the women wearing the flouncy dresses and bonnets that the teenager always thought about when she imagined this period of time. The men in their coats and breeches looked as though they'd made an equal amount of effort with their clothes. "I thought you said you hunted aliens?"

"Technically _you_ said I hunted aliens. _I_ said I save the world." He corrected her.

"Yeah, well… same difference." She said with a shrug, ignoring the indignant look on the Doctor's face at her words. "So why are we in a novel? How could I have been talking to a fictional girl? How am I standing in a fictional pub?"

"I don't know." The Doctor said pointing at her as though she'd just made a very good point. "That is what we're going to find out."

"Just one thing…" The teenager looked down at her outfit. "I think I'm going to stand out quite a lot… so are you."

"Another good point, Miss Jones." He said with a grin. "To the TARDIS."

"Why?"

The Doctor looked as though this was a totally stupid question. He shook his head and left the room. Evie groaned before following him. He jumped down the stairs two at a time, leaving her hurrying behind him. He was already halfway down the road by the time she got outside and she had to run to catch up. This caught the attention of several people walking near them who eyed her with shock and suspicion. Apparently it wasn't just her appearance she'd need to work on to not stand out around here.

"In we go!" The Doctor said, unlocking the TARDIS and stepping inside. He led Evie through a door which, by rights, should have led back out into the street. It led, however, to a sort of dressing room with rails of clothes from all different times and places. Evie stared as she followed the Doctor along the rails looking at the different costumes; space suits complete with helmets, knight's armour, jeans, t-shirts, there was everything she could think of.

Spluttering with laughter she pulled a leopard print leotard off a rail and held it up. "Please tell me you haven't worn this."

"Well… no… but you never know when it'll come in handy." He told her seriously. Evie raised her eyebrows and put it back wordlessly, still giggling to herself.

"Oh grow up!" He said grinning. "Ah-ha! Here you go!"

He handed the teenager a dress which she took almost reluctantly. It was long with long sleeves. It appeared to be in two parts, a short, tight green and white checked jacket over a long, flowing white skirt. The sleeves were puffed out at the top and got narrower towards the bottom at the wrists. It was gorgeous.

"It's beautiful." Evie said, holding it against herself. As the Doctor started rummaging around on the shelf above the rail, the teenager had a sudden thought. "I ain't wearing a corset." She said firmly.

Smiling, he turned and handed her a pair of soft white shoes, a matching bonnet and a pair of white gloves. "I didn't think you would. Now go and get changed."

While the Doctor continued to look for his own outfit, Evie went to get changed. Not knowing where he expected her to go, she went back into the main chamber and hid behind the control panel, where she quickly changed into the dress. It fitted her perfectly; tight at the top with a flowing skirt.

She was still admiring herself when the Doctor came back in, looking dashing in his outfit of tight fitting trousers, a loose white shirt and a necktie. He was shrugging on an overcoat as he walked towards her. Stopping a couple of paces away he bowed low, flourishing his hands in a completely over the top way. Evie laughed and curtseyed.

"Shall we brave it?" He asked. He pulled a small purse out of his pocket and jangled it at her. "We've got some money now; you can get some proper dresses made up. We can't have you in last year's fashions, can we?"


	5. Chapter 5

Nervously Evie followed the Doctor out of the TARDIS and took the arm that he was offering to her. She felt like such an idiot walking around in a long dress with gloves and a bonnet on, but at least everyone else was as well. She felt marginally less of an idiot than she had in her twenty-first century outfit.

"Ah! Miss Jones!" A voice called from behind them. Evie and the Doctor turned at the shout, seeing Lydia walking quickly towards them, three other young women behind her. "Miss Jones, Doctor Jones, may I introduce you to my older sisters, Miss Mary Bennet and Miss Katherine Bennet, and our good friend Miss Maria Lucas. Mary, Kitty, Maria, this is Doctor Jones and his sister Miss Evie Jones. They're from London."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The Doctor said beaming. He bowed low to the three girls. Evie smiled too, nodding her head as she'd seen in the period dramas her grandmother liked watching.

"They were attending a costume party, but their coachman behaved dreadfully and stranded them here in their costumes." Lydia gushed. "They looked a fright earlier when I saw them first!"

"On that matter," the Doctor cut in, "may I ask you to take my sister to buy some new dresses? We have decided to stay here a while and until she can have more sent from London she only has what she is wearing." Evie shot him a furious look, not liking the idea of being left alone with four nineteenth century females at all, but the Doctor just grinned at her. "I must go and see about…" He trailed off as he walked away, leaving Evie with the girls.

She smiled awkwardly at them. There was very little silence, however, as Lydia began talking immediately, gushing about the Assembly that night, Mr Bingley and the gentlemen he would be bringing with him. She linked her arm through Evie's and they started walking along the street. The teenager found that all she was required to do was nod or make appropriate noises in response to what her new acquaintance was saying.

"So, Miss Jones," Lydia said interestedly finally running out of conversation about the militia, "you are coming to the Assembly tonight, aren't you?"

"I guess so…" Evie said. All four girls looked at her curiously. "If I can find something to wear."

"Well, we shall have to see what we can do, won't we." Lydia said with a wink.

Evie spent the next hour or so in the dressmaker's shop. She was measured and prodded and poked and turned around. The dressmaker raised her arms and lowered them and generally manhandled her until she was satisfied with what she'd done. Then she took Evie through patterns and colours and shapes and all sorts of things until the teenager thought her head was going to explode. Lydia couldn't stop herself butting in, which Evie was incredibly grateful for.

Finally they emerged from the shop with the promise of six new dresses as soon as possible. The only problem was that there was no way any of them would be ready for that night. Part of Evie was relieved that she wouldn't have to attend the Assembly, as she had nothing to wear. Lydia and Kitty, however, had other ideas.

"Of course you must come!" Kitty said firmly. "Between the five of us we must have a dress that would suit you very well."

Reluctantly the teenager agreed to visit the Bennet family home, wishing that the Doctor would appear and save her. She was enjoying herself, but it was exhausting trying to remember that she was in the early 1800's, not 2009. Every now and then she would say something that would earn her a strange look from the other girls. As they made their way to Longbourn, Evie was incredibly conscious of what she was saying. She was also conscious of the fact that she was going to meet the infamous Mrs Bennet. If she made a bad first impression, it would be very difficult to get the woman to like her.

"So, Evie…" Lydia asked. Evidently they'd moved away from Miss Jones and Miss Bennet. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen. Just… it was my last week, actually."

"Really?" Lydia seemed shocked. "You're a year younger than Mary. You're three years older than me!"

"I know." Evie said, remembering readying that Mrs Bennet was proud that Lydia was married before she was sixteen.

"You say some curious things!" Lydia told her shaking her head and laughing. "Ah… here we are."

They'd arrived outside a large stone house. Outside was a beautiful garden, which led around the side and obviously finished behind the house. The garden was filled with brightly coloured flowers and a woman was kneeling on the lawn, tending the roses beside the front door. Lydia skipped over to the woman and started chatting away to her. Maria had left them on the way and gone home, so Evie looked at Mary and Kitty for reassurance. They smiled at her.

"Don't worry, my youngest sister can twist our mother around her little finger." Mary said with a sigh. Evie thought that in the novel the middle Bennet sister had had a bad press. She was lovely, as far as Evie could tell.

Mrs Bennet got to her feet and came towards Evie, wiping her hands on her apron. She smiled warmly and nodded her head at the teenager.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Jones, I'm sure." She said. Evie was taken aback at the warmth of her greeting.

She ushered the girl inside and they set about fussing over her, trying to find her a gown to wear for the Assembly that night. They finally settled on a pale blue dress which was very low cut, but apparently the height of fashion. Evie felt uncomfortable, but everyone was praising it so much that she felt that she couldn't refuse.

"You should stay for dinner, Miss Jones." She said once Evie was back in her original dress with the other wrapped up carefully.

"Oh… that would be nice." She said quickly. "But my brother will be waiting for me."

"Of course the invitation would be extended to your brother. Lydia tells me he's a doctor?" Mrs Bennet was looking at the girl intently and Evie suddenly realised what was going on. She was intending to set the Doctor up with one of her daughters. Evie had to work hard to keep her face under control as the realisation sank in. She smiled.

"Then that would be lovely." She said and went into the parlour to wait until he arrived.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own any of the characters or bits that are taken from Pride and Prejudice and obviously Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.**_

"So… Doctor Jones." Mrs Bennet said, leaning across the dining table to address the Doctor. "What brings you to our quiet little corner?"

The Doctor shot Evie a look, but the teenager just looked back at him, smiling. He'd dropped her in it earlier and now it was payback time. She looked down innocently, focusing on the food on her plate instead of the conversation. Evie could hear him answering the question as best she could and a thought suddenly hit her. They should have thought out their cover story properly. What if she told people their parents were dead and the Doctor said they were alive?

"So then we decided to stay for the summer season, not that there's much left of it." The Doctor was saying.

"You've got nothing to rush back to town for, then?" Mrs Bennet asked meaningfully. Evie caught Lydia's eye across the table and they both smirked, looking down quickly. They might be 200 years apart, but they were still teenage girls.

Awkwardly, they finished dinner. The Doctor was determined to fend off Mrs Bennet's questions, which seemed to be infuriating the woman. He excused them, saying they needed to sort a few family matters before getting ready for the Assembly that night. Mr Bennet happily leant them the carriage to save them walking. He seemed to have taken a liking to the Doctor and invited him to come back and discuss the 'important things' with him at any time.

As the carriage pulled away, Evie turned to the Doctor seriously.

"Ok, we need to get some things sorted. Like, for starters what about our family? These people are obsessed with family and stuff, they're bound to ask."

The Doctor grinned. "I thought you were freaked out about falling into a novel." He teased. She pulled a face at him. "OK, OK, you're right! Why don't we go for the simple; orphaned and the only family we have is each other."

"Fair enough." She said with a shrug, making a mental note not to mention her sisters. "And… we were left enough money for you to become a doctor and me to have a governess, yeah?"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He said with a grin. He looked so gorgeous when he smiled like that that Evie wished he hadn't said they were brother and sister. She sighed. "What's wrong?"

"Oh…" She hadn't meant to sigh that audibly. "I'm fine… this is just… weird." Then she remembered something. "Why did you disappear earlier?"

"I went 'alien hunting'." He said with a grin.

"Find anything?"

"Nope, nothing."

"And you're happy about that, because?" Evie demanded, wondering why he was so cheerful.

"I'm having fun! I've never been in a novel before."

"Well… one last thing… you need a proper first name. I can't refer to you as Doctor, can I… that's just odd."

"Ooh!" He exclaimed excitedly. "I know! I've always liked the name Thaddeus… or Uriah! Or maybe something like Zebulon or Horatio."

"You're actually kidding me?" Evie said pulling a face of complete disbelief. "I refuse to introduce you to people like that. 'Oh, hi, this is my brother Doctor Zebulon Jones.' Seriously?"

"Calm down!" The Doctor said with a grin. "If it means that much to you I'll pick something a bit cooler! Honestly, girls!" He said rolling his eyes. "What about Henry?"

Evie nodded. "Much better… Henry."

x

By the time Evie had worked out how to get back into the dress and make her hair look presentable – Mrs Bennet had exclaimed at the sight of it earlier – she and the Doctor were very late. As they left he pulled out a device and aimed it at their bedroom doors, which were opposite each other across the narrow corridor. It made a strange, high-pitched whirring sound.

"What's that?" Evie asked, wrapping her shawl tighter round her shoudlers.

"Sonic screwdriver. It'll stop anything getting in while we're out."

"I thought you said there was nothing here?"

"I said I didn't find anything." The Doctor said. "It's a different thing. You look lovely, by the way."

Evie blushed and was glad that in the dimness of the staircase he wouldn't see how red she'd gone. "Thanks."

As they reached the Assembly rooms, Evie was very glad she'd forced the Doctor to choose a name earlier because it seemed they needed to be announced before they could go inside.

"Doctor Henry Jones and Miss Evie Jones."

Lydia and Kitty immediately appeared at her side, pulling her into the room. They wove through the crowds of people. Evie glanced back over her shoulder at the Doctor who was looking slightly lost. As Evie watched, however, she saw Mrs Bennet swoop on him. Now she felt slightly guilty.

"Mr Bingley's here!" Lydia squealed grasping Evie's hands tightly. Somehow she'd managed to become the best friend of a fictional character quite by accident. It was crazy! "He's only brought his two sisters; Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst, Mr Hurst and his friend, Mr Darcy. Apparently Mr Darcy has ten thousand a year _and_ a large estate in Derbyshire!" She gushed.

"No way!" Evie said, pretending to be shocked. Lydia and Kitty started squealing again. The girls were distracted almost immediately by two members of the militia who came up and asked them to dance. A third came and asked Evie to dance and, horrified, she politely refused, finding herself sitting with none other than Elizabeth Bennet herself.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" She asked the younger girl politely. Evie nodded. "I'm sure there must be a great difference in the entertainments of London when compared to such a small company as ours?"

"Yes." The teenager answered nervously, trying to use proper language. She was momentarily distracted by the sight of the Doctor dancing with a young woman. She felt a pang of jealousy, but shook her head to return to the conversation with Elizabeth. "There's a vast difference, although I'm finding that the company here is much more friendly."

Elizabeth smiled. "It seems that your brother is enjoying the company of Charlotte Lucas."

"So he is." Evie said, almost bitterly, watching the Doctor laughing with the young woman. She turned to continue her conversation with the Bennet, when out of the corner of her eye she spotted Mr Darcy walking towards them.

"Come, Darcy." Mr Bingley was saying in a cajoling tone. "I must have you dance. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better dance."

Mr Darcy, when he replied, sounded most offended. "I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am particularly acquainted with my partner. At such an assembly as this it would be insupportable. Your sisters are both engaged and there is not another woman in the room whom it would not be a punishment to me to stand up with."

Evie tried to decipher the meaning of his words, wishing she'd listened in GCSE English now. Elizabeth was smirking, overhearing the conversation. Evie rolled her eyes at her companion and they both just about managed to contain their giggles. The teenager was bracing herself for what he was going to say next.

"I would not be so fastidious as you are for a kingdom!" His friend replied in astonishment. "Upon my honour, I never met with so many pleasant girls in my life as I have this evening; and there are some of them you see uncommonly pretty."

"What does fastidious mean?" Evie whispered, not caring that it would make her sound stupid, when everyone used words like that in everyday conversation around here.

"It means being very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail." Elizabeth told Evie with a smile. "Being difficult to please."

"Oh… cool." She said absent-mindedly with a shrug. Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, either to comment on her turn of phrase or the fact she hadn't known what the word meant, but she stopped; eavesdropping again.

"_You_ are dancing with the only handsome girl in the room." Mr Darcy said. Elizabeth beamed with pride, realising he was talking about Jane.

"Oh! She is the most beautiful creature I ever beheld!" His friend gushed. Evie had to work hard to stop herself pulling a face at how slushy he was being. "But there is one of her sisters sitting down behind you, who is very pretty and, I dare say, very agreeable. Do let me ask my partner to introduce you." Evie waggled her eyebrows at Elizabeth at the words, making the older woman blush and swat at her, laughing.

"Which do you mean?" Elizabeth and Evie both glanced over their shoulders and realised that Mr Darcy was staring at them. They quickly turned around again, looking wide-eyed at each other. "She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt _me_; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to her partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me."


	7. Chapter 7

Evie did her best to convince Elizabeth that Mr Darcy had only said what he had because he'd caught them staring at him and his pride had got the better of him. By the time she was reassured that the woman was alright, she saw the Doctor coming over.

"Here, Elizabeth, I'm sure Henry would be honoured to dance with you." She said, looking meaningfully at the Doctor. He smiled broadly and bowed, offering his hand. Elizabeth looked as though she was about to decline when her mother appeared out of nowhere and nodded enthusiastically.

Rather than getting stuck alone with Mrs Bennet, Evie decided to take her chances and go for a walk. She smiled politely as she past people; knowing that there was almost as much gossip about her and her 'brother' as there was about Mr Bingley and his party. Her favourite thing that she'd overheard was that the Doctor had been helping her escape from a loveless marriage, which was why they'd arrived so suddenly with no luggage and no plans.

She picked up a glass which she filled with punch and leant against a pillar taking deep breaths. She'd thought leaving Lower Appley with the Doctor would have meant a life of action and excitement but, obviously, fate had other ideas. She'd gone from one carefully monitored existence to another.

"Miss Jones…" A shrill, upper-class voice said behind her. "We haven't been formally introduced… Caroline Bingley."

Evie smiled. "Evie Jones." She said nodding to the woman civilly. Miss Bingley linked her arm through Evie's conspiratorially, surveying the room.

"Nothing to the standard we're used to, I'm sure, my dear." She added a fake laugh, which Evie copied, awkwardly. "But when in Rome…" She sighed. "You must come and visit us at Netherfield Park, we have to stick together out here, don't we."

She smiled and walked away, leaving Evie confused. What on earth had given Caroline Bingley the idea that there was any similarity between them? And what had she meant by 'we have to stick out here, don't we'?

Needing air, Evie headed outside, collecting her shawl as she went. Outside she walked slightly around the corner so that she was out of sight of the entrance and leant against the cold stone wall breathing deeply. She was sure she'd get used to the strange feeling of being out of place, especially if she intended to stick with the Doctor once they got out of here.

"You got it?"

Evie jumped, looking around wildly. She'd been sure she was the only person out here, but the voice clearly indicated that she'd been wrong.

"I tried, I really did!" A second voice, female and pleading said. The teenager recognised it, but couldn't place it. It could have belonged to any of the women inside the Assembly rooms.

"You'll have to try a bit harder." The first voice ordered sinisterly. Evie turned and stared into the darkness, squinting until she could make out two figures not too far away. "Without it, we're stuck here for good; on this stupid planet. And you know what that means…"

"I know, I know… but what if –"

"Oh!" A man said behind her, causing the voices to stop abruptly. They turned before moving quickly and vanishing into the night. "I didn't realise anyone was out here."

"That's alright." Evie said turning around. Her eyes widened as she realised that it was Mr Darcy who was looking down at her. She'd seen the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice and the film version, but Mr Darcy in real life – sort of – was so much better. The teenage girl in her went weak at the knees as he looked at her. She felt like she could drown in his dark eyes.

He looked at her in silence for a couple of minutes. "You should go back inside. It isn't proper for a young lady to be out here without a chaperone."

"It's definitely not proper for me to be out here with you." She said, raising her eyebrows and smiling cheekily.

"Indeed." He said, stonily. Evie grinned.

"Catch you later." As she turned to go inside, she could have sworn he'd smirked. But right now she needed to find the Doctor and inform him about that conversation she'd overheard.

x

"You ain't got a fag, have you?" She asked as she and the Doctor stood on the same spot as she'd heard the conversation in the dark earlier that evening.

"No. And you shouldn't be smoking, young lady." He said, prodding her in the arm. She shrugged. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me?"

"Oh… well I came out here to get some air and I heard a really weird conversation. There was a man and a women and the man was asking if she'd got _it_ yet. She said no, but she'd really tried. Then _he_ said that she had to try a bit harder or they'd be stuck on this stupid planet and she knew what that meant."

"Did you see who it was?" The Doctor asked urgently, pulling out his screwdriver. Evie raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

"Nope… I recognised the voice though, but I couldn't say who it was."

"Well you're a great help, aren't you?" He said sarcastically. She pulled a face.

"I don't see you adding anything helpful to this situation." Evie snapped back, shooting him a sarcastic smile.

The tense atmosphere lasted for a couple of seconds before he broke into a broad grin, which she returned immediately.

"You're brilliant, Miss Jones, come on let's go alien hunting." The Doctor grabbed her by the hand and started running. Struggling in her long dress, Evie did her best to keep up with him.

"Where are we going?" She breathed as they turned sharply around a corner.

"Think… where's the last place you'd think of going on a night like this, when there's a ball going on?"

"I dunno…" She shrugged. Then inspiration suddenly hit her. "The Church?"

"Bingo!"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Read and comment :) let me know if you're enjoying this fic!**_

The Church was just as Evie had imagined it would be; cold, dark and creepy. It was almost indistinguishable from the Church her grandparents had dragged her to every Sunday for the past five years. As she walked down the central aisle of the Church at the Doctor's side – a very surreal moment – the teenager was very aware that the big slabs of slate that covered the graves of the rich and important people of the neighbourhood were much more recent than they'd ever been. Walking over them gave her the creeps.

Oblivious to her discomfort the Doctor was waving his sonic screwdriver around looking curious. Evie listened to the strange whirring until it almost became background noise. She kept forgetting that everything she took for granted, mainly electricity, hadn't even been invented yet.

"Do you believe in God?" The Doctor asked suddenly, making her jump as he broke the uncomfortable silence in the Church.

Evie shrugged. "I guess… I mean, otherwise what's the point? I mean, why go through all this if it just ends? There must be a plan, some point to everything. What do you think?"

"Jury's still out." He said shortly. She sighed and rolled her eyes, hating the way he'd ask a question to find out her opinion and then just give her a closed answer in response. It was so annoying.

"So what are we looking for? Something paranormal?" She asked, staring into the darkness. He started to laugh, irritating her further. "What?"

"Paranormal is ghosts… which don't exist, by the way. The closest things to ghosts in existence are the Gelth." The Doctor told her, concentrating the screwdriver on a particular spot. Evie didn't even bother to question the word 'Gelth'; she probably wouldn't understand the explanation anyway. "WE are looking for alien activity… ah!"

He jumped forwards, dropping to the ground and putting his ear to the ground. Evie stared at him with her arms crossed over her chest. If she hadn't started getting used to his peculiar behaviour she'd have been alarmed, but she had and she wasn't.

"What are you –" she started. The Doctor grabbed a handful of her long skirts and pulled her to the floor. "What the –"

"Shhhh!" He said. The teenager looked outraged at being shushed, but he ignored her expression and pointed to the stone floor. "Listen!"

Evie pressed her face to the floor as well. The hard stone was freezing and she recoiled slightly at the shock. Then she put her head on the ground and did as the Doctor had instructed. She listened. She listened as hard as she could. There was a strange sound, almost mechanical from under the ground. Listening harder, Evie suddenly realised that the floor was gently pulsing and vibrating. Horrified, the teenager sat up, staring at the Doctor. He looked grimly back.

"What is it?" She asked, wide-eyed.

"I don't know…" The Doctor said slowly, narrowing his eyes. "It's a ship of some kind but the big question is… who's on it?"

x

The Doctor had decided that, now they knew where the space ship was hidden, they needed to try and work out what kind of alien owned it before they attempted to tackle it. Evie was very quiet on their walk back to the Meryton Arms. The Doctor noticed and slipped his hand into hers comfortingly. He gave it a squeeze and she glanced up at him.

"You alright?" He asked gently. It always took him by surprise to remember that his companions had never experienced anything like he had in his time. Evie had slipped into the life so easily, had never once seemed completely fazed by anything that was thrown at her, that he hadn't even considered the possibility that she was scared or confused by anything.

She nodded hesitantly. "I guess… it's just a lot to get your head around… I mean, being shoved into this crazy, made-up world was one thing and now being told that there's an alien space ship parked under the Church...? It's just…"

"Mind blowing?" The Doctor finished. Evie nodded with a massive sigh. He smiled down at her, wrapping an arm loosely around her shoulders. "Don't worry kid, you'll get used to it."

"Really?"

"Nope, probably not! But where's the fun in that?" He asked grinning. "When you start getting used to it all the adrenaline, all the excitement, it all vanishes. And that's boring!"

Evie laughed and shook her head. "I suppose."

If she was truly honest, the teenager wasn't as freaked out as she thought she should be. Everything was so strange and new and different, but Evie felt totally relaxed about it. After the initial shock of realising that a) she was inside a 200 year old novel and b) there was an alien space ship underneath the Church, she was just excited; excited about where she was, excited about the prospect of meeting an actual alien and excited about what that might mean.

"So, Miss Jones," The Doctor said interrupting her thoughts, "bedtime?"

She stared at him, taken aback, wondering what he meant. At her expression, the man's brain connected his words with the less innocent meaning of his words and he blushed.

"Oh… I didn't mean…" He was bright red and Evie couldn't stop herself grinning.

"I know." She laughed. "Besides, we've got our reputation to consider, my darling brother."

At her words, and the realisation that she wasn't awkward after his accidental insinuation, the Doctor smiled and offered her his arm. Taking it with a polite bow of her head, Evie grinned and allowed herself to be steered in the direction of the inn. As they approached, they passed several coaches heading away from the Assembly. Evie knew she and the Doctor were attracting some curious looks; disappearing from the ball and appearing again a while later walking into the village from the dark countryside. There'd be plenty of questions tomorrow, but they could wait until then.

On the landing between the doors to the bedrooms that the Doctor had hired for them, both hesitated. Suddenly everything felt more real to the teenager; before now it had all been a massive adventure and now she was actually going to be going to sleep in this strange place and waking up here in the morning.

"Night…" She said with a smile. The Doctor returned the look before Evie forced herself to turn around and go into her bedroom. She leant against the door closing her eyes and resting her head against the dark wood breathing in and out deeply.

After a couple of minutes she heard the door opposite close as well and she went to the bed. Struggling, she finally undid the buttons at the back of her dress and stepped out of it as it lay in a crumpled heap on the floorboards. Looking down, she realised she needed to hang it up before it got spoilt. Then she remembered that there weren't any clothes hangers so, instead, she draped it carefully over the chair in the corner.

Before climbing into bed, she looked out of the window. The moonlight was shining across the street, giving everything a silvery glow. But Evie hardly noticed. Her gaze had fallen on the hooded figure standing beneath her window, looking directly up at her.

In an instant the teenager was in the corridor, hammering on the Doctor's door. He flung it open, staring at her wide-eyed.

"There was… outside… watching me…" She stammered, unable to get her words out. "Someone was watching me."


	9. Chapter 9

"There was… outside… watching me…" She stammered, unable to get her words out. "Someone was watching me."

Putting his hands on the tops of her arms, the Doctor pushed past Evie and ran into her room. He scanned the street carefully, aiming his sonic screwdriver out of the window. Whoever, whatever, had been out there had vanished. Quickly he returned to Evie's side, seeing how shaken up she was.

"Who was it, Evie?" He demanded, grabbing her by the arms and looking into her eyes. She was still shaking from the shock. "What did they look like?"

The teenager shrugged. "They had on a long cloak with a hood. It might have been blue or green? I don't know! I couldn't see their face because the hood kept it in shadow…"

The tall man pulled her into a tight hug and Evie clung on. She buried her head in his chest, feeling safe in his arms. She didn't even consider how bad this scene would look until she heard footsteps on the stairs a second or two later and the Doctor clearing his throat.

"My sister saw someone watching her from outside." He said in a commanding tone to the landlord who was gazing at them with a look of deep suspicion. As his gaze settled on Evie his eyes widened and a silly smirk appeared on his face. The Doctor glowered. "She is terrified. Can you get her a glass of brandy for her nerves? Now!" He demanded as the man hesitated. "Go and put some clothes on." He hissed as the landlord disappeared down the stairs.

Glancing down and realising that she was just wearing her underwear Evie immediately ran to throw some clothes on. All she had was the dress the Doctor had given her and the one she'd borrowed from the Bennets. Mortified that the Doctor had seen her like that, she put his dress on hurriedly, anxious not to be on her own.

"Thank you, sir." The Doctor said, taking the glass of brown liquor out of his hand and giving it to Evie. The landlord looked disappointed that the girl was fully dressed and, despite her fear, she shot him a disgusted look. "Now… my sister says that a cloaked figure was standing under her window looking up at her. Can you spare anyone to help me search for this person?"

Evie and the landlord looked at him with similar curious expressions at his request. The older man thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"There's just me and my son, here, Sir. Young Billy's in no fit state to help no one tonight, not after the ball over the Assembly rooms."

"Then I'll have to look myself." The Doctor said. Evie shot him a wide eyed pleading look. "Don't worry, Evie, Mr Cartwright here will make sure no one gets in, won't you?" The landlord nodded firmly. "Now, you stay in my room… you'll be quite safe." He guided the teenager into the room and handed her the sonic screwdriver. "Just in case."

"Don't you _dare_ leave me." She hissed.

"It'll be fine." He promised. "I'll be back before you know it. I'm just playing the doting big brother act… besides, once I've gone, sonic the door and nothing's getting in. Like this…" He aimed the screwdriver at the window and pressed a button, moving the device slightly as though he were tracing the outline. "Perfectly safe."

"But… how will you get in?" Evie asked.

"Well, obviously you'll have to un-sonic the door and let me in." The Doctor told her, as though she were being particularly stupid. "So no falling asleep."

"Fat chance." She muttered under her breath. He leant over, pressed the screwdriver into her hand and kissed her on the forehead. Evie looked at him questioningly. "What was that?"

"Ooh! I'm getting into this role now… never had a little sister before. See you later." He said with a grin and a wave.

As he left, Evie pointed the device in her hand at the door and traced its outline, just as the Doctor had with the window. Feeling marginally safer, Evie sat and waited, refusing to look out of the window in case the figure returned. Absentmindedly she twiddled the pendant hanging on a chain around her neck. It had been found in the wreckage of her parents' car crash and the teenager had immediately claimed it for herself. She wasn't sure why, but it was a constant reminder of the two people she'd lost.

"Please hurry up." She muttered under her breath, crossing her legs and resting her head on her cupped hands.

x

The Doctor emerged from the inn, looking left and right quickly. In truth, he had no idea where to start looking for Evie's mysterious cloaked figured but, seeing her so frightened when she'd been so sensible and calm through everything else had rattled him. Without his sonic screwdriver he didn't know where to start looking.

He walked along the street, careful to stay in the shadows of the buildings so that he wouldn't be easily spotted. Several times he jumped back against the stone buildings, pressing himself further into the shadows to stay hidden as voices or footsteps caught his attention. Each time it was a drunken farmhand or young couple creeping about in the shadows.

"Doctor Jones?" A surprised voice caught his attention. The Doctor turned abruptly and looked at the man who had spoken. He didn't know anything about the man Evie had overheard talking outside the Assembly, but he severely doubted that Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy of _Pemberley_ had been that man.

"Mr Darcy." He said, bowing to the man. Darcy inclined his head stiffly. Both stood looking at each other curiously, wondering what could possibly bring the other out so late at night. "I didn't expect to meet anyone out here at this time, especially you, Sir."

"No, well… I found I wanted a breath of air after the ball and decided to walk back to the Hall."

"Long way to walk?" The Doctor commented, raising an eyebrow.

"Indeed… I was just about to enquire at the inn about a horse."

Something about his manner caught the Doctor's suspicions. He aimed the sonic screwdriver at him underneath his jacket, trying to muffle the sound. Confused, Mr Darcy looked around him for the source and the Doctor hastily put the device back in his pocket.

"I was just on my way back there… I'll come with you." He said with a broad smile. The screwdriver's scan had shown no anomalies; Fitzwilliam Darcy was definitely 100% human. And a peculiar one at that.


	10. Chapter 10

_**As **__**lexi-myrnin**__** pointed out, I managed to let Evie AND the Doctor have the sonic screwdriver at the same time… oops! Just pretend that didn't happen, OK? :P **_

_**Comment if you're enjoying it! :)**_

"You fell asleep." The Doctor said accusingly the next morning as he joined Evie in the inn for breakfast. She winced guiltily and shrugged.

"Sorry…"

"Anyway… I ran into Mr Darcy last night." He continued, forgetting to be annoyed with her. Evie almost dropped her mug in astonishment.

"What d'you mean you ran into Darcy last night?"

"When I went looking for your spy, I ran into Darcy wandering around in the street." He told her, ripping a piece of bread off the loaf and stuffing it into his mouth. "Could he have been the man you heard?"

Evie shook her head. "No way." The teenager was adamant. "I told you, he spoke to me before the figured vanished."

"Hmm… strange though."

The teenager shook her head, wondering what the Doctor meant by that comment but deciding that it would be far less confusing not to ask. "What are we doing today then?"

The Doctor paused as the landlord came into the room, stopping at the end of the table and leering at Evie who jumped slightly as she glanced up and noticed his gaze. She caught the Doctor's gaze and he hastily removed the smirk from his face as he read the expression in her eyes.

"Yes?" Evie asked the man frostily.

"I just came to enquire whether you managed to catch the person last night, Sir." Cartwright said, directing his question at the Doctor while keeping his gaze firmly on the teenage girl.

"No… Sadly I didn't." The Doctor said, pulling a disappointed face. "But Evie's fine, aren't you." She nodded and they waited until the man backed out of the room, reluctantly, before speaking. "I think you've got a fan."

"Eurgh!" Evie groaned. "You realise he's going to be mentally undressing me every time he sees me."

"He won't have to imagine much." The Doctor joked with a grin.

Evie reached over and thumped him on the arm. She was more than embarrassed that the Doctor had seen her in her underwear. The more time she spent with him, the more he was beginning to feel like a brother or father. Her immediate crush the first time she'd met him had vanished, now the idea of it made her feel slightly sick.

The man put down the chunk of bread he was still picking at and looked at her seriously. "I was thinking that we should take a walk to the Church and have a look around the grounds… see if we can spot anything interesting."

"Alright… I'm ready now."

"Go and get your bonnet or whatever you need and we'll go." He told her.

As Evie got to her feet to go and collect her things, she passed behind the Doctor's chair and whacked him round the head as she walked. He pulled an outraged face, but she just narrowed her eyes and stuck her tongue out.

x

Evie and the Doctor hadn't even made it half way down the street before they heard hurrying footsteps and raised voices behind them. Evie stopped at the sound of her name and saw all five Bennet sisters as well as Charlotte and Maria Lucas walking towards them. She glanced at the Doctor who, if she hadn't known better, Evie would have sworn was looking nervous.

"Evie!" Lydia called loudly. "Doctor!"

"Miss Lydia." The Doctor said with a smile, bowing in general to all seven females. Evie was astonished at how well he fitted in but then, she supposed, he'd had enough practise.

"Did you enjoy the ball last night, Miss Jones?" Jane asked in a soft voice, speaking before her younger sister could. Lydia looked cross that the question had been asked by someone else, but said nothing.

"I did, Miss Bennet." The teenager agreed with a smile. "I noticed that Mr Bingley danced almost every dance with you. I reckon you're in there."

"You suppose that I'm 'in there'?" Jane asked in confusion. Evie realised her mistake and blushed, almost as much as Jane was.

"I think that he must like you a great deal." She said, thinking hard about what she was saying. Jane blushed even more deeply and Elizabeth shot her sister a look.

"Mama was wondering whether you would both care to join us for dinner again tonight, Doctor Jones." The second Bennet sister said quickly, trying to draw the attention away from her older sister. "She is sure that the food at the Meryton Arms cannot be anywhere near the standard you are used to and hopes that we can do better."

The Doctor smiled and accepted the invitation, much to Evie's discomfort. As much as she liked the Bennet girls she found it difficult to remember where she was – as she had just proved.

"We were just about to go and look at the Church." He told them with a flash of his wide, slightly goofy smile. "We have been informed that it is well worth a visit."

"Why ever should you want to visit the boring old Church on a Saturday?" Lydia asked pulling a face.

"Yes, when you'll surely be there in the morning anyway." Kitty added.

"I do not see why wishing to admire and appreciate the splendid architecture of such a building as Meryton Church should be scoffed at." Mary told them with a shrug. "After all, as they have been informed, it is well worth a visit."

Lydia sighed and she, Kitty and Maria Lucas all pulled faces. The three older women smiled vaguely, shaking their heads at their younger sisters' expressions and Mary exhaled sharply in annoyance.

"Miss Jones," Elizabeth said with a smile. "My sisters, mother and I have been invited to Netherfield Park for tea this afternoon and our invitation included you. Apparently she and Mrs Hurst were under the impression that you and your brother were our guests at Longbourn."

"Oh…" Evie didn't know what to say to that. She wasn't sure if Elizabeth was annoyed, amused or just informing her of the contents of the invitation. "Umm…"

"My sister would be honoured to join you." The Doctor said, noticing that Evie was wavering. "She can inform your hosts of their mistake then. We wouldn't want you to be inundated with our correspondence!" He joked. The dark haired, dark eyed young lady smiled, her eyes twinkling with humour as she met his gaze. "I will deliver her to Longbourn directly after Lunch, if that is agreeable to you?"

The Bennets nodded, Lydia and Kitty squealing with excitement, and Evie and the Doctor excused themselves, turning to head towards the Church. The Doctor put a hand on the teenager's waist, propelling her forward as he could tell she was about to start complaining at him. As his hand rested lightly on her waist, he heard a sharp inhalation of breath behind him and hastily moved it, grabbing her elbow instead.

"Thanks for that." The teenager snapped, thinking about the fun afternoon she was going to have with Miss Bingley and her sister.

"You might as well get on and enjoy yourself while you're here." The Doctor said lightly. "Besides, you might find out something interesting."

"What, you think one of the Bennets is an alien? Or Miss Bingley? No! I know… you think it's Darcy, don't you?" She asked, half annoyed, half amused. "You think Mr Darcy is an alien?"

"No… I know he's not." The man said shortly, opening the gate to the Churchyard and pushing the teenager through it.

"How? Can you tell an alien just by looking at them?"

"No, I scanned him with the sonic screwdriver." The Doctor said with a shrug, opening the heavy wooden door and going inside.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Hi guys! Please comment and let me know what you're thinking about the story! They're appreciated very much! Hope you're enjoying it!**_

Inside the Church was slightly less creepy than it had been the night before. Evie was still not happy about having to take afternoon tea with a roomful of fictional characters but, as the Doctor pointed out, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do. Sulkily she dropped into a pew as the Doctor waved his screwdriver around.

"Don't start sulking." He ordered, not even looking at her. "Have a look around."

"What for?"

"I dunno… anything weird."

"I'm looking at something weird." She muttered staring pointedly at the Doctor. He turned and looked at her, with raised eyebrows. Then he grinned and Evie found herself grinning back. "Stop it!" She said, not ready to forgive him just yet.

Evie walked slowly around the edges of the Church having no idea what she was looking for but looking hard anyway. As she walked along the far left of the Church, towards the alter, she suddenly walked over a patch of stone that seemed a lot warmer than the rest. Hesitating, she walked back again. The stones were definitely much hotter in that particular spot than any of the stones around them.

"Doctor?" She called, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Come here."

The man walked over quickly, scanning the stones Evie was pointing to with the sonic screwdriver. He grinned broadly at whatever the device was telling him and turning to Evie.

"Genius!" He laughed, taking the teenager's face in his hands and planting a kiss on her nose. Evie didn't know why she was a genius, but felt like she was swelling with pride and was unable to contain her broad smile.

"Can I help you?" A voice asked from behind them. Both Evie and the Doctor whirled around and saw a clergyman standing in the doorway looking at them curiously. The two time travellers looked at each other warily.

After a hasty explanation about coming to admire the Church and the Doctor looking for something in Evie's eye they escaped, grinning from the building and headed round the side. The teenager giggled and dropped into the grass beside a stone wall while the Doctor moved to the outer wall of the Church and started scanning it with the screwdriver. Evie flapped at her skirt, which had puffed up when she sat down and turned to face her companion, shading her eyes from the bright sun.

"What are you doing now?" She asked lazily. The sun was blazing down on them and it would have been perfect sunbathing weather. In the long sleeved, long skirted dress there was no chance of the teenager getting a tan. She pulled the skirts up to expose most of her legs. With no one else around she thought she might as well make the most of the weather.

"The 'hot spot' was on the other side of this wall." He told her vaguely. "If can find out… ah!"

He had moved the screwdriver down to the bottom of the wall. Somehow he'd hit a certain spot or frequency… the teenager wasn't sure what he'd done, but suddenly a section of the ground moved away, leaving a hatch and a stairway exposed. Evie glanced at him, her mouth open in astonishment. As the ground moved, the teenager jumped to her feet, moving quickly to the Doctor's side. She grabbed his hand, warily and he squeezed it reassuring her.

"Ladies first." He said, removing his hand from her grip and motioning her to go down the stairway first. "On second thoughts, I'd better go first…"

So the Doctor descended the steps, Evie close behind him. She was shivering with a mixture of anticipation and excitement. Under the ground, the teenager got even more excited. A large, metal shape almost filled the underground chamber. Every now and again several lights flashed bright green giving the Doctor's face a strange, alien glow. As she thought the words, Evie started laughing… alien… good choice of word.

"What?" The Doctor asked her, confused at her reaction. Evie just shook her head and worked hard to get her face back under control. He began scrutinising the space ship – well, that's what the teenager guessed it was, anyway – using his sonic device and muttering to himself. He clapped his hand to his forehead and spun around, grabbing Evie by the arms. "Ah! Slitheen!"

He turned and started up the stairs, pulling Evie behind him. She screwed up her face as he tugged her arm.

"Sleeveen? Slytheyn? What?"

"No, no, no! Slitheen!"

"Slitheen? What are they?"

"They're big green aliens from Raxacoricofallapatorius." He told her grinning like a maniac. "They use human skins like body suits… skin suits with great big zips on their foreheads!"

"And that's a good thing?" Evie asked, taking in his broad smile.

"Yes! Well, no, but yes!" The Doctor answered confusingly. "The compression method they use to get into the skin suits has a side effect… a gas exchange happens which causes the disguised Slitheen to frequently expel gas."

She stared at him. "So we're looking for a farting alien?"

"Exactly!" He grinned. Then his face fell slightly. "Well… maybe. The last time I met a Slitheen they'd managed to create a better suit, that allowed them to disguise themselves as thinner people but it also eliminated most of the gas exchange problem."

"So… we might NOT be looking for a farting alien."

"Maybe not."

Evie sighed and shook her head. "So we know WHAT we're looking for, but we don't know where or how to find them?"

"Hmmm…" The Doctor said, screwing up his face. He glanced around looking for anything else that might be of use to them. At least they knew what they were looking for now. The grassy trap door was shut again and there was no hint that anything was out of the ordinary.

"We could always do some surveillance… you know, hang around out of sight and see who goes down there?" Evie suggested hopefully.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I don't think so. Besides, you've got afternoon tea to get to."


	12. Chapter 12

"Evie!" Lydia shrieked out of a second floor window as her new friend walked up the driveway. The Doctor had left her at the gates, unwilling to come to the house. Evie found it hilarious that, after everything he'd seen and done he was scared of five fictional women.

Before the teenager had even reached the front door, it was flung open and the two youngest Bennet girls were running towards her. Both seemed incredibly excited about something, but they were also surveying her with matching curious expressions. Rather than going into the house, the sisters pulled the older girl around the side of the house and into a wild area hidden from the house.

"Woah! What…?" Evie protested as they pulled her through the garden. When they came to a stop, she turned to look at them, eyebrows raised questioningly. "What?"

"Billy Cartwright told Annie who we overheard telling Hill that his father saw you and your brother on the landing last night and that you were in your… underclothes." Lydia said in a rush, looking at Evie under her fringe to see her reaction.

Evie blushed and looked between the two younger girls, her mouth open. She was trying to think of the right words to use to explain what had happened, but at that moment she was panicking too much that she'd blown the whole trip by freaking out last night.

"There was someone looking up at me from outside and I panicked." She said slowly. "I didn't even think about getting dressed… I just wanted to get to him... my brother…"

"Who was it?" Kitty asked, pressing her hands to her mouth. She looked horrified at the thought of someone staring through the window at the girl.

Evie shrugged. "No idea. They were wearing a cloak with a hood and I couldn't see their face. It was horrible."

Lydia, however, had other things on her mind. She was looking at Evie with her head on one side. Her gaze kept sliding down to the older girl's chest, which was making her incredibly self-conscious. Crossing her arms across her chest, Evie mirrored Lydia, her head on one side as well.

"What?" She asked.

"Annie said that Billy said you were wearing the most intriguing underclothes." Lydia said without a hint of embarrassment. Evie, on the other hand, went scarlet again. "He said they barely covered any of you and were purple and patterned."

The time travelling teenager couldn't believe that she was having a conversation about underwear with a couple of fictional characters. It was too surreal. Gripped by a sudden urge to do something crazy, Evie grabbed the front of her dress and pulled it down, revealing one side of her purple leopard-print bra. Kitty and Lydia looked as though their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.

"That is truly beautiful!" Lydia breathed staring at it. She and her older sister bent closer to get a better look. "Where is it from?"

As she'd seen a board in the window of the dress shop advertising the latest fashions from Paris, Evie decided to think of somewhere else. "Rome."

"You have been to Rome?" She whined. Evie nodded.

"Listen… I don't think we should mention any of this to your mother… I doubt she'd think I was a suitable acquaintance for her daughters." She said hastily. Getting in the good books of all the Bennets might come in handy later on. Presumably that was why the Doctor kept pushing her into their company.

"Alright…" Lydia said slyly. "But only if you tell us the truth. Is that man really your brother? You and he do not act like any siblings I've ever seen… take Mr and Miss Bingley for one example."

"And the way he put his arm around your waist this morning…" Kitty joined in.

Evie sighed, thinking very quickly. "Alright… he's not my brother."

"I knew it!" Lydia exclaimed excitedly.

"My parents tried to marry me off to some wealthy old Earl but I had other ideas and he… the Doctor… came to find me and helped me escape."

"So are you married? Are you a… Countess?" Kitty asked, working out what her title would be. Evie shrugged; why not, she decided and she nodded. Lydia almost shivered with excitement.

"I cannot believe it! A Countess standing in front of me! It is like something out of one of our novels, Kitty!" She gushed. Evie was almost dizzy with the effort of thinking and trying to keep herself calm. "What are you, Countess what?"

"Countess Carmichael." Evie said quickly, borrowing her grandparents' surname. "But you cannot tell anyone…" She pleaded. Having a sudden brainwave, she pulled up her skirts to reveal a large bruise on her thigh from where she'd tripped over one of the dogs and landed heavily on an upturned bucket. "I cannot go back to him."

Kitty and Lydia gasped and hugged her tightly. Evie was taken aback, not realising that people went in for that sort of thing in the early eighteen-hundreds.

"Of course, Miss Jones." Kitty said with a smile. "Your secret is safe with us, Evie."

"We shan't tell a soul." Lydia agreed.

Following them towards the house, Evie took several deep breaths to steady her nerves. How she'd got away with that lie she'd never know. She was just glad that Kitty and Lydia Bennet were so easily convinced. If they told anyone, however, they would be far less likely to believe her flimsy lie. Evie just hoped she got a chance to warn the Doctor before the teenage girls got to him.

By the time the three teenagers joined the other Bennet sisters and their mother in the parlour, it was time for the carriages to be called and for them to set off for Netherfield Park. Lydia and Kitty were true to their word and didn't utter a syllable that might arouse suspicion about Evie and they joined in the excited chatter as though they'd learnt nothing more exciting that morning then that they had received the invitation.

Mrs Bennet talked non-stop. Her favourite topics of conversation seemed to be Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy and the Assembly the night before. She was ecstatic about how often the former had danced with her eldest daughter, complaining about the few times he had danced with anyone else. His friend, however, seemed to be the single thing that she could focus all her bad feeling on. She criticised everything about him; from his manners to his hair. Evie couldn't help smirking at her words.

"Why do you smile so, Miss Jones?" Elizabeth asked conspiratorially as her mother turned her attention to Jane, prepping her for the meeting.

"Call me Evie." The teenager said with a smile. "It is just that I feel like I know your mother… the way she is so fixated on your marrying well."

"Are not all mothers so engaged?" Elizabeth asked with a wry grin. "I believe that all mothers have a single goal in their lives and that is to see their daughters well married."

"Maybe so, but I shall never marry for money alone."

"No, neither shall I, Evie." Elizabeth agreed with a nod. "_I am determined_that nothing but the_deepest love_could ever induce_me into matrimony_." Remembering the line from her English lessons, Evie grinned. Elizabeth gave her a curious look. "You puzzle me, Evie. Sometimes you seem to be so lost; so far away from home."

"Why do you say that?" Evie asked quickly, feeling her heart thudding in her chest.

"I cannot say… there is something about you… I cannot describe it."

The teenager was prevented from answering by the crunching of gravel as the carriage came to a stop outside Netherfield Park and she was jolted by Lydia who almost climbed over her in her excitement to get out.


	13. Chapter 13

"Now, Miss Jones, you must tell us all about yourself." Miss Bingley cut in as Mrs Bennet stopped speaking to take a breath. Feeling all eyes on her, Evie felt her cheeks burning and she felt very hot.

"There is not much to tell." She said with a shrug. "Mother died when I was born and our father died when I was five. Henry was almost sixteen and so I was put under the care of a governess while he studied to become a doctor. Then, three years ago the governess left and Henry and I went to Rome for a while. When we returned we lived in London."

"How interesting." Mrs Hurst muttered resting her chin on her balled first and surveying the teenager with narrowed eyes. "And how old are you now?"

"Eighteen."

"And your brother… is he engaged?"

Evie suddenly thought she knew what was going on. Caroline Bingley had been so nice to her at the Meryton Assembly because she fancied the Doctor. But that didn't make sense… Miss Bingley was supposed to fancy Darcy with his ten thousand a year and estate in Derbyshire.

"No." Evie said, avoiding Lydia and Kitty's eyes. "Not that I know of, although I am only his baby sister. I doubt he would tell me until things were settled anyway."

"Should we take a walk in the gardens?" Miss Bingley said suddenly. "It is such a beautiful day."

There didn't seem to be any objection so the party moved through the large French doors and into the sprawling, beautifully kept gardens. Evie found herself with Miss Bingley's arm linked through hers. Mrs Hurst was walking a little way in front with Jane and some way off to the right Elizabeth and Mary were walking, the younger sister holding forth about something. Lydia, Kitty and their mother seemed to be giggling with excitement somewhere behind them.

"So… Miss Jones." Caroline said. Evie felt extremely uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why, but something about the woman unsettled her. "Why have you come into the country?"

"Why?" The teenager was flummoxed. "Well… my brother suggested it. He likes the countryside better than Town."

"Woman to woman, I hope you have not set your sights on Mr Darcy." The older woman said out of the blue, almost warningly.

"No… I –"

"Good… Mr Darcy would not… he has strict ideas about the kind of woman he would be suited to." She informed the teenager carefully. Evie raised her eyebrows and felt like asking if Miss Bingley had set her sights on the man, but thought better of it.

"My dear Mr Bingley!" They heard Mrs Bennet exclaiming, before adding, in a colder voice. "And Mr Darcy."

Evie and Caroline turned to see Mr Bingley moving straight to Jane's side. Evie smiled, but beside her Miss Bingley stiffened at her brother's movement.

"You could do a lot worse than having Jane Bennet as your sister-in-law." The teenager hissed pointedly under her breath. Caroline Bingley stared at her but didn't answer because Mr Darcy was coming over, claiming her attention.

"Caroline… Miss Jones." He said, bowing deeply to the women. Miss Bingley smiled stupidly and started wittering. Evie rolled her eyes, a movement that the gentleman caught. A brief smirk played about his lips, but then it was gone.

"If you'll excuse me," Evie said, desperate to get away from the woman and her intense stare, "I'd like to take a closer look at that pond."

"Allow me to accompany you." Mr Darcy said and, before either of the women could say anything, he had whisked Evie away in the direction of the water feature, leaving Miss Bingley staring after them in annoyance.

"Mr Darcy… I…" The teenager started unsure what to say.

"I had a conversation with your brother, Miss Jones, in the early hours of this morning." He said, almost as though he hadn't heard her speak.

"Yes, he said he spoke to you." Evie agreed.

"Can I ask… why was he out at such a time?"

She considered whether to tell him the truth for a moment, before deciding to. "Someone was watching me… in my room at the inn. They were standing beneath my window, staring up at me. I was scared and he went to see if he could find them."

"What?"

"Mmmm… he thought at first when he saw you… but then he realised he was obviously mistaken." She continued. "I was terrified."

"I am not surprised." Mr Darcy said. Suddenly Evie realised that his hand was resting on hers. She glanced down at it in confusion. "Why do you not come and stay here? There is plenty of room for you and your brother. I am sure Bingley would be delighted to entertain you as his guests."

Evie was gobsmacked. From everything she knew about Fitzwilliam Darcy, this kindness and concern was completely out of character. He was supposed to be proud and obstinate and fierce. Then again, Mary Bennet was supposed to be plain and dull and Jane was supposed to be sweetness and light, but neither of those descriptions was completely true. Mary could be very funny and, when she smiled, as was just as pretty as her sisters and Evie had heard Jane being very rude indeed about Lady Lucas' dress at the Assembly the night before. No, these might be fictional characters, but they were definitely not as they were portrayed in the book and on screen.

"There is no need, Sir, thank you…" Evie said, worried that the Doctor would be annoyed if she suddenly announced they were going to stay at Netherfield.

"Nonsense." The man brushed her words aside. "You will be far more comfortable here. I will send someone for your things and those of your brother directly and tell him myself."

"We're dining with the Bennets tonight." Evie remembered suddenly.

"Then the carriage will take you and bring you back again afterwards."

Evie was stuck for anymore complications. She sighed and looked up at the man who was watching her carefully. "Very well, thank you."

Mr Bingley was delighted by the idea, as was Jane for the same reason. With Evie staying at Netherfield Park, Miss Bennet had far more reason to come and visit. Mrs Bennet didn't look happy with the arrangement and neither did Mrs Hurst. Miss Bingley, however had a bizarre look on her face that the teenager couldn't decipher. She might not be able to understand the look, but Evie didn't like it at all.

As she followed Mr Darcy back into the house once the Bennets had left, she noticed something in the large entrance hall that chilled the blood in her veins. On the coat stand beside the door hung a long, dark blue hooded cloak.


	14. Chapter 14

The Doctor was mildly amused by their change of accommodation. He met Evie at the Bennets' that night and raised his eyebrows at her, muttering under his breath about the conversation he'd had with Mr Darcy.

"I think someone has a little crush on you, Miss Jones." He joked with a wink. Evie shot him a look, showing she wasn't amused by his words, raising an eyebrow. Her reply was cut off by the front door opening and Hill, Mrs Bennet's right hand woman, ushering them into the parlour.

"Evie!" Lydia shrieked setting eyes on the older teenager. Mrs Bennet winced.

"Lydia! Show some propriety, girl!" She snapped before turning to the Doctor with a wide, simpering smile. He jumped slightly with her burning gaze fixed on him. "Doctor Jones… how nice to see you again. Come and sit down here, next to Elizabeth."

The Doctor glanced over at Evie who shot him a satisfied smirk and returned to her conversation with Lydia, Kitty and Mary. He had teased her about Mr Darcy, now it was his turn to deal with that kind of speculation.

"So?" Mary asked leaning forwards and interrupting Evie's thoughts. "You're staying at Netherfield Park?"

Evie nodded. "Yeah… Mr Darcy wouldn't take no for an answer." The two younger Bennet sisters started squealing again and Mary and Evie exchanged a look.

The rest of the evening passed similarly. Mrs Bennet seemed to be adamant that the Doctor was going to marry Elizabeth. Both, though seemingly getting on very well, were incredibly embarrassed about this. Lydia, Kitty and even Mary seemed to think that Evie and Mr Darcy would be engaged within a week. Their second favourite topic of conversation was the arrival, the next day, of their cousin; Mr Collins. Evie couldn't help grinning at the sound of his name; something which made her new friends frown. The teenager was thoroughly fed up of gossip and being teased by the time the carriage arrived to take them back to Netherfield.

"Can you hurry up and solve this little mystery?" Evie demanded moodily as they bounced along in the carriage. The Doctor shrugged.

"It's not as easy as that!" He protested. "We know what we're looking for, we just don't know who or why!"

Suddenly the girl remembered what she'd seen in the hallway of the grand house. She couldn't believe she hadn't told the Doctor before; although she hadn't exactly had much of a chance to speak to him. "I think we're getting closer, though."

"What d'you mean?"

"I saw the cloak. It was hanging on the hallstand at Netherfield."

"What?" The Doctor looked gobsmacked. Evie was either ridiculously brave or incredibly stupid. "And you still agreed to stay there?"

"Technically I had no choice…" Evie muttered. "And I'd agreed before I saw it. But this means that we can figure things out quicker, right? We can work out who it was and why."

"Why was Darcy so keen for you to stay, anyway?" The Doctor asked giving her a meaningful look.

She sighed. "I told him about the person with the cloak and he got all defensive and worried. I dunno why, but he said we'd be safer and more comfortable here. I don't think it's got anything to do with him." The teenager added quickly.

"Of course you don't." Her companion chuckled. Evie punched him in the arm, glaring. "Why do you keep doing that?" He demanded, rubbing his arm pathetically. "I'm getting a bruise!"

"Because, sweetie, sometimes I _really_ hate you. Besides, you deserve it." She shot back with a sarcastic smile. Folding her arms across her chest she turned her back on him, gazing out of the carriage window and leaving him staring at the back of her head, his brow furrowed as he thought about her odd choice of words.

x

Later that evening, Evie was shown to a large, luxuriously furnished bedroom in the West wing of the house by the housekeeper. She glanced around in awe. The films she'd seen set in this time didn't do justice at all.

There was a firm knock on her door and the teenager jumped. For a moment or two Evie was confused, wondering who could be knocking on her door, but then she realised that it must be the Doctor. Her bad mood towards him had evaporated before they'd reached the end of their carriage ride. Grinning, she moved to the door and opened it, turning round so that her back was facing it.

"What d'you want?" She asked jokily. "You might as well un-do the back of this stupid dress for me while you're here. You have no idea how difficult they are to get out of!"

"Indeed, Miss Jones, if you wish me to." A crisp, slightly haughty voice said.

Evie whipped around and realised that it was not the Doctor, but Miss Bingley who was watching her with an air of amusement. She jumped and backed away slightly.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bingley… I thought you were…"

"Mr Darcy?" The woman asked, getting the wrong end of the stick.

"No… I…"

"I warned you before, Miss Jones. Stay away from Mr Darcy. You and he can never be." Her tone was falsely light, but underneath there was a menacing threat that made Evie incredibly uncomfortable to be alone with her.

"And I told you… I have no intention of marrying Mr Darcy." She said stumbling backwards as the older woman took a couple of steps towards her. Miss Bingley's eyes were trained on her chest, making Evie feel even more uncomfortable. The women here were obsessed!

"What's that?" She asked reaching forwards. Evie flinched as her hands closed around the teenager's necklace. She lifted the small teardrop pendant and stared at it closely. A flicker of excitement passed through her eyes as her hand closed over the jewel. The woman twitched involuntarily and Evie thought she was going to rip it from around her neck.

After a couple of seconds, Miss Bingley seemed to compose herself and let go of the pendant, stepping backwards quickly.

"Well, goodnight, Miss Jones." She said with an unnerving smile. "Sleep well."

She left, leaving Evie with a horrible feeling. Shivers were running up and down her spine and she was suddenly freezing. Catching sight of her reflection, Evie's mouth dropped open. The pendent, which had been clear (the girl had assumed it was a diamond), was now a deep, rich, blood red.

Turning tail, she fled in the direction of the room the housekeeper had shown the Doctor to as they made their way to her bedroom. He opened the door immediately and listened as she told him about the conversation and showed him the pendant which she had taken off, reluctant to have it touching her skin anymore.

"I think you'd better leave this with me." The Doctor said slowly, unable to tear his eyes away from the jewel which he was pointing his sonic screwdriver at it. She nodded, trusting him implicitly. "Go to bed. Lock the door and try and get some sleep. I think things are starting to get interesting!"


	15. Chapter 15

Evie couldn't sleep. She'd locked the door as the Doctor had instructed, but surely an alien, a Slytherin or whatever the Doctor had called them, would be able to get through a locked door. In the end, after an hour or so of lying on her back staring at the canopy above her, Evie got out of bed and, knowing it would seem completely mad if anyone saw her, climbed underneath the bed instead. She rested her head on a rolled up blanket and pulled another over her, both taken from the trunk in the corner, making sure she was completely hidden underneath the bed.

The teenager couldn't explain why, but she suddenly felt a lot safer with the drooping fabric around the bottom of the grand four-poster bed hiding her from view. Gradually she felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier and soon she was asleep.

Not for very long though.

A scratching sound woke her suddenly and she tried to work out what she was doing lying on the floor under the bed. The scratching stopped and a rattling sound took its place. Carefully she slid her head and shoulder out from under the bed and stared at the door. As her eyes became accustomed to the dimness in the room she noticed that the door was shaking. Someone or something was trying to get in.

She shot back under the bed, trying to think of a plan, as the door opened with a low creak. Evie shrank further into the shadows under the bed as two pairs of feet walked towards her. These were no feet she'd ever seen before. They were green and leathery, almost like a rhinoceros' feet, except they had three toes at the front of the feet with long, talon-like nails.

Ramming her fist into her mouth to stop herself shouting out, Evie waited, bracing herself for whatever was coming. She wasn't exactly scared; adrenaline was coursing through her veins. One pair of feet came so close to her that she could easily have touched it. The other pair moved over to the dressing table and, whatever was attached to the feet, started rummaging through the drawers and in the collection of items on the surface.

"It's not here." A female voice said. A voice that seemed so familiar and yet the teenager was still unable to place it.

"Neither is she." A male added. The same male she'd heard outside the Assembly Rooms.

"Well where is she?"

"The door was locked from the inside. The key's still in it." The male reasoned, shuffling away from the bed. Evie groaned inwardly at her stupidity, clamping her eyes shut for a second or two. She hadn't even considered that that would be a dead giveaway that she was still in the room. These creatures were smarter than she'd given them credit for. "So either she left through the window or…"

"… or she's still here." His companion added with a touch of amusement in her voice. "Where would a skinny little girl hide, I wonder?"

"In the cupboard…?"

"Behind the chair…?"

Evie took several deep, steadying breaths, knowing that they were just playing with her. The creatures knew exactly where she was hiding and it was only a matter of time before they found her. Silently she screamed for the Doctor in her head. If only they had some kind of telepathic bond. Surely someone like him would know when she was in danger. But here she was, hiding under a bed, waiting to be discovered.

Sure enough, before she knew it, there was a pair of green rhino feet either side of the bed. Slowly a matching long, green, claw-like hand reached down either side and lifted the drooping fabric, revealing her hiding underneath. Two green faces, complete with massive black eyes and a relatively small, oddly shaped mouth peered at her.

Evie gulped. Before she could even open her mouth to say anything, one of the creatures had jabbed her in the arm with a device that looked remarkably like a gun and the teenager had felt a warm, woozy feeling washing over her. Fighting as hard as she could against the sleep that was threatening to engulf her, Evie glared at the creature on her left who had pulled her out from under the bed, as though she weighed nothing more than a rag doll.

As it lifted her into its arms, Evie blinked twice before blackness covered her vision and she passed out.

x

The Doctor was restless. He couldn't stop thinking about the pendant he'd taken from Evie. He'd never noticed it before, but now it wouldn't leave him alone. All sorts of questions were buzzing around his head. Where had she got it from? How could she possibly have got it?

He knew what it was; the sonic screwdriver had confirmed his suspicions. But it being in Evie's possession was almost impossible. The Doctor knew where it was supposed to be; or rather who was supposed to have 'acquired' it. And, as far as he knew, they were still safely tucked away in the Stormcage Containment Facility.

So how on earth did Evie Jones have a _Gallifreyan_Ruby hanging on a cheap silver chain around her neck?

He knew there was something drawing him to the teenager and he guessed it must have been this. No, not only this. The Ruby was definitely a big pull – he didn't like to think about the last time he'd seen it – but there was something else about Evie. He loved her attitude, her guts and her unflinching curiosity. And that was just for starters. She reminded him of someone.

Finally, after a very long time of lying awake staring at the ceiling, the Doctor decided he needed to find out the truth. Carefully making his way along the pitch-black, thickly carpeted corridors he realised almost straight away that something wasn't right.

The door to Evie's bedroom was ajar and, scanning it with the sonic his fears were confirmed; alien activity. Bursting inside it was painfully obvious that Evie, and her intruders, had vanished. Clapping his hands to his head, the Doctor pulled a face.

"Think, THINK!" He ordered himself, hitting his balled fists repeatedly into his head.

His thoughts weren't coming to him clearly, but in a jumble that he needed to sort through. Why had they taken Evie? They were looking for the Ruby. Why did they want the Ruby? Members of the Slitheen family were notorious crooks. Where had they taken her? Their ship.

"Yes!" He cried, laughing aloud to himself. Without thinking, he leapt out of the room, sprinted along the corridor and jumped down the staircase into the entrance hall. "No!" he said as he reached the door. "There's something else I need…"

"Doctor Jones?" Mr Darcy appeared on the landing, looking down at him with curious alarm. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes!" The Doctor told him grinning. "Something is definitely the matter. And you, my dear Mr Darcy, can help me out."

"Help you, sir? How?" The man asked, hurrying down the staircase towards the Doctor.

"Very important question… do you have any vinegar?"


	16. Chapter 16

Mr Darcy and the Doctor had searched the kitchens at Netherfield Park until they'd found a large bottle of the acidic liquid. They left the house making their way to the stables. Mr Darcy looked confused, his acquaintance had not explained what was going on or the reason for his urgency. As they entered the building, the taller of the two men stopped the other firmly.

"Doctor, I must demand that you tell me what is happening." He ordered. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, before deciding to comply with the request.

"It's Evie. She's been kidnapped by aliens and they've taken her to their space ship. I can kill them with the vinegar… they don't get on well with acetic acid. But only if it comes to that; I don't like to kill. We need to hurry, though."

The man stared at him as though he'd gone mad. "Kidnapped? Aliens? Vinegar?"

"Don't just stand there repeating everything I say!" The Doctor ordered him with a sigh. "Come on!"

"Are we going on horseback?"

"Horseback?" The Doctor looked incredulous. He moved slightly to the left and clicked his fingers. A large blue box appeared as though from thin air. "No, we're going in this. The TARDIS."

"What is this, witchcraft?" Darcy demanded, recoiling.

"There's no such thing as witchcraft." The Doctor informed him, screwing up his features in amusement. Then he recalled his trip to Shakespearean London. "Well… not proper witchcraft like you're thinking of."

He ushered the shocked nineteenth century gentleman inside and moved to the controls. Behind him, Darcy stopped, looking as though he were about to have a heart attack. The Doctor had no time to comfort him, however, all his energy was focused on rescuing Evie.

x

Groggily the teenager tried to raise a hand to her face to rub her eyes which were heavy with sleep. Uncomfortably she wriggled, wondering why she couldn't, why her bed was so hard and her sheets so restrictive. As she gradually opened her eyes, she realised the reason. She wasn't in her bed at the farm. Neither was she in the beautiful bedroom at Netherfield Park. Evie was strapped to a metal table in the Slitheen spaceship; one thick, reinforced leather belt around her ankles, another around her waist and a third around the top of her body, binding her arms to her sides.

Noticing that she was awake, one of the giant green creatures moved over to her. It must have been at least eight feet tall and had massive arms, which ended in what looked like claws.

"Ah, Miss Jones." It said looking down at her. Evie writhed even more, trying to loosen the straps but it had no effect, other than to make the creature laugh at her discomfort. "You have something we want. Something we've been looking for, for a very long time."

"And what might that be?" The teenager hissed, keeping still as she realised she couldn't escape. There was no point wasting her energy; not yet, anyway.

"The _Gallifreyan_Ruby."

Evie looked confused. "The what?"

"The pendant that was on the necklace you were wearing last night." The creature snapped impatiently. "Where is it?"

"That wasn't a ruby. Are you colourblind?" Evie snapped. Then she remembered the deep red colour it had gone after Miss Bingley had touched it. "Anyway, it's just a necklace that my mum owned; nothing special or alien about it at all."

"Where is it?" The second creature had joined the first. Evidently neither of them believed her about the pendant.

"I don't have it." She told them with a grin. Her unflinching trust in the Doctor meant that she had no problem facing these aliens.

"I won't ask again." The smaller of the creatures, with the female voice, threatened. "Just tell us where it is."

The teenager smirked. "He's got it; the Doctor. And you'd better watch out because he'll be coming to get me."

"If he can find you." The male said, making both Slitheen laugh. Evie's confidence dropped a little at the words.

"He knows where we are… underneath the Church."

"Underneath the Church?" the female repeated, giggling. "We're not underneath the Church anymore, child. No… the Doctor will have to do better than that to find us."

"How can you not be underneath the Church anymore?" The girl asked in astonishment, a knot appearing in her stomach. She believed that the Doctor would find her, but how could he if he didn't know where she was?

"We moved." Was the simple answer she was given.

Evie was confused and not just a little bit anxious. "But how? This ship is huge! How could you move it and how could it stay hidden from everyone around. A massive great spaceship? Someone around here would notice it."

"The Doctor isn't the only one with technology." The female said, before walking away and leaving Evie to wonder what was going to happen to her now.

x

The two men exited the TARDIS in the Churchyard with very different expressions on their faces. The Doctor was grim and determined; the sonic screwdriver clutched tightly in one hand and the bottle of vinegar in the other. Mr Darcy just looked as though he was going to be sick.

Leading the way round the side of the Church, the Doctor aimed the screwdriver at the patch of ground, slightly darker than that surrounding it, that hid the staircase down to the underground chamber. The patch slid away, revealing the steps, and almost causing the Doctor's companion to collapse in shock.

"Pull yourself together man!" The Doctor ordered. "Or I'm sending you home. I've already got one damsel in distress; I don't need another one."

Nodding, Mr Darcy took several deep, steadying breaths before following the slightly shorter, skinnier man down the stairway. The Doctor was looking around astonished. He waved the screwdriver, which made an alarming whirring sound, around the cavernous space muttering about impossibilities. Mr Darcy thought that the man himself was an impossibility; an opinion that he wisely kept to himself.

"It was here!" The Doctor exclaimed, moving to the wall and laying his hands against it. The earth began to crumble at his touch and he moved away again almost instantly. The last thing they needed was for the whole thing to collapse. "How can they have gone? And why?"

x

"The Doctor won't give up." Evie assured the Slitheen as they went about their tasks, largely ignoring her. "He'll keep looking for me. Then you'll be sorry."

They ignored her, as they had been doing since the end of their conversation. It was almost as though they'd forgotten she was there. The girl had overheard their plans clearly; they were going to use her as a bargaining tool – either the Doctor handed over the jewel or they'd kill her.

They'd even discussed the reasons in front of her. Apparently they'd promised it to some rich dealer who'd already paid half the money up front. Hisk, the female, was worried because they'd spent it on kitting out their ship with the latest technologies available, so they couldn't even repay him if they failed to get the jewel. Korst, her husband, assured her they wouldn't need to as the Doctor could never bring himself to let one of his little 'pets' die.

Evie had been livid at being referred to as the Doctor's pet, but they'd taken no notice of her furious ranting. Instead she'd returned her attention to trying to loosen the straps keeping her tied to the cold metal table. If the Doctor couldn't find her, the teenager guessed that it was down to her to save herself.

"Now be good, darling." Hisk said, making Evie jump. She had something clutched in her hand. Horrified, the teenager's stomach lurched as she realised what it was.

It was a body suit.

Now Evie realised why she'd recognised the voice when she'd overheard their conversation outside the Assembly Rooms and why it had seemed so familiar all the time the Slitheen had been talking to her and each other. The body suit was Caroline Bingley.

With her breath catching in her throat and making her choke, the teenager couldn't do anything but watch with disgusted fascination as Hisk squeezed herself into the suit and closed the zip on her forehead. Once it was closed, the metal fastening vanished. Miss Bingley stood, smiling unpleasantly at her.

A man appeared, but Evie knew immediately that it was Korst in his own body suit; a slimy looking clergy man. Silently the teenager put two and two together. He had to be the Bennets' cousin, Mr Collins. Inwardly she groaned.

"Now," he said smarmily, "you stay here and behave yourself. We've got places to go and people to see."

"Don't get into any trouble!" Hisk/Miss Bingley said, linking her arm through Mr Collins' and pulling him out of sight. Unable to turn and watch them leaving, Evie could nevertheless hear them laughing until there was a hissing sound, a heavy clunk and everything went silent.


	17. Chapter 17

The Doctor and Mr Darcy had returned, dejected, to the TARDIS and then back to the stables, where the amazing blue box had been shielded from sight once more. After the Church, the Doctor had dragged his new accomplice on a tour of the village, waving his sonic screwdriver around wildly, looking for any hint of the Slitheen ship.

Back in the house, they came face to face with Miss Bingley and her brother. Caroline jumped seeing them so close, but Mr Bingley beamed at the sight of his friend and their guest.

"Ah!" He said smiling warmly. "Ready for Church, Gentlemen."

The Doctor's face fell even further as he realised that it would look very odd indeed if he refused. Everyone would be attending the Sunday morning service, which would have been a brilliant opportunity for him to do some snooping. But there was no way out of it.

"Indeed." Mr Darcy said, noticing the Doctor's reluctance. "If you will excuse me, I must go and get changed."

Following him, the Doctor went to his own room. Instead of getting dressed into anything else, he paced backwards and forwards across the floorboards. He didn't realise how much time had passed until Darcy knocked on the door and peered into the room.

"Are you ready, Doctor?"

"Hmmm?" He jumped, pointing at Darcy and making the man obviously nervous.

"Who are you?" Darcy asked suddenly. The Doctor gave him an enigmatic smile and moved close to him so that they were looking into each other's eyes. Then he reached up and patted him lightly on the shoulder, before moving past and into the corridor.

"I'm the Doctor and we've got work to do."

x

Evie screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until she was hoarse but it didn't do any good. Starting to panic, she jerked her body against the tight leather belts that were holding her still. The pulsing lights of the ship, greens and blues, added to the eerie atmosphere and she didn't know how long she was going to be alone. With one final scream, this time more of frustration than fear, Evie wrenched her right arm upwards.

She screamed again, his time in agony. The force she had used to free her limb meant that, as she'd pulled it up, the leather belt had gauged into her skin and taken a massive chunk out of her arm. Blood gushed from the wound but, Evie thought as her head started to spin from pain and the sight of the crimson blood, at least her arm was free.

Shaking violently the girl struggled with the buckle of the top belt, freeing her uninjured arm. When that was done she raced to undo the other buckles, rubbing the sore marks that the tight bonds had left on her skin. It was difficult as she was right handed and, the pain being so bad, her right hand was practically useless. Hardly able to look at the wound on her arm, she tugged violently on the right sleeve of her nightie, ripping the stitches and pulling it off. Wrapping it tightly around her forearm to try and stem the blood loss, Evie rushed to the door she assumed the two Slitheen had left through.

Obviously it was shut firmly and, after examining it carefully and running her left hand all over it looking for any signs of weakness, the teenager still had no idea how to open the door. She hammered her fist against it in anger. Then she slid to the floor, cradling her injured arm. Hot tears of anger, frustration and fear spilled down her cheeks.

"Stupid, idiotic Doctor." She muttered furiously. "Where are you, you ridiculous, infuriating, STUPID man!"

x

The Doctor and Mr Darcy had sat through the Sunday morning service; neither of them taking any notice of what was being said. It was like the pair of them were on autopilot. When the service ended, they followed the Bingley siblings outside.

"Who's that man, talking to Caroline?" Mr Bingley asked, drawing the Doctor's attention towards the pair, standing apart from the rest of the Churchgoers. He was tall and thin and slimy looking, dressed in clergy robes and glancing around with his beady eyes darting in every direction.

"That is Mr Collins… he's the vicar on my Aunt's estate." Mr Darcy filled them in. "The most odious of men."

"A country vicar? Talking to Caroline?" Mr Bingley looked so confused that the Doctor couldn't help grinning broadly. But that thought had struck him too and he turned his attention back to the odd couple, who looked suspicious to his well-trained eyes.

Carefully he aimed the sonic screwdriver at them underneath his long coat, scanning for any species anomalies. The Doctor was hardly ever wrong and this wasn't one of those rare occasions. The screwdriver was telling him exactly what he had expected it to. Slitheen.

"We've found them." He muttered, once Mr Bingley had wandered off, distracted by the glowing Miss Jane Bennet. Darcy watched him with disapproval, a look that did not go unnoticed by the Doctor.

"Where?" He demanded hearing the words and glancing wildly around, looking ready for a fight. Darcy followed the Doctor's gaze to the unlikely couple and his mouth dropped open in shock. He didn't seem to be able to believe it. "No…"

"It's true!" The Doctor showed him the reading on the sonic screwdriver. Apparently the man didn't need much convincing.

"Right… well… we should confront them! I've never really liked Caroline Bingley." Mr Darcy said, ready for action. He took a couple of steps towards the pair but his companion pulled his arm.

"What's the point in that? We still don't know where Evie is."

The truth of his statement sank in slowly. It was true. They would have to be patient and bide their time if they were going to find out where the pair were holding the teenage girl. Their curiosity was raised further, however, as Miss Bingley and Mr Collins turned and walked quickly away from the Church.

"Doctor?" The nineteenth century gentleman looked at his futuristic acquaintance for guidance.

"Well we're obviously going to follow them! And quickly!" He said, exasperatedly shaking his head and setting off after the swiftly moving figures as the Bennet girls started towards them. All the Doctor needed now was their questions about Evie's absence.

If they were aware that they were being followed, the Slitheen didn't show it. The pair of them stopped on the village green, glancing around cautiously, checking they were not being observed. The Doctor pulled Darcy's arm once more, holding him back out of sight.

Mr Collins reached out for something invisible in front of him. There was a slight shimmering and the pair took one step forwards. First the man and then his companion disappeared from sight into thin air. Darcy staggered sideways, leaning heavily against the wall of the building that hid them from view, his hand firmly over his eyes.

"Clever, very clever!" The Doctor mused, scanning the spot with the screwdriver. "Hide it out in the open."

"Hide what?"

"Keep up, man! Their space ship, where they're keeping Evie."

"You _are_ mad, sir!"

"You might be right." The Doctor said with a small shrug, pocketing the screwdriver and heading determinedly towards the space where the spaceship must be shielded. "Isn't it brilliant?"


	18. Chapter 18

"Where is she?" Hisk shrieked looking wildly around. Hearing the doors hissing, Evie had dragged herself to her feet and moved more quickly than she thought was possible. Her arm hadn't stopped bleeding and she was feeling incredibly weak. If she hadn't thickened her bandage by tearing several strips off the bottom of her night gown, there would have been a trail of blood across the floor, giving her away.

The Slitheen, who had both removed their body suits with sighs of relief, moved around the ship as quickly as they could which wasn't particularly fast. In her hiding place, squashed underneath the control panel of the Slitheen ship, Evie held her breath for a few seconds. Then she realised that blood loss and oxygen deprivation weren't a good combination in her condition and took several shallow breaths.

"She can't have got out." The male alien retorted. "The door was locked."

"So where is she then?"

Before the argument could continue, a red light began to flash on the dashboard above her head. The taller of the two hurried towards her, causing Evie to shuffle backwards, against the wires trailing behind her. He began tapping at the console, pulling a large screen downwards. Another screen opposite crackled into life as well, meaning that the teenage girl could see the same as her captors.

Two men were walking towards the ship, striding purposefully towards them. Evie had honestly never been so grateful to see anyone in her life. The Slitheen, however, were horrified.

"How did they find us?" Hisk demanded in a squeak.

"I don't know!" Korst snapped back. "But if we let him in… he won't be expecting that. We can turn this round."

"What about the girl?"

"Never mind her for now. She's easily dealt with." He said, tapping buttons so that the doors hissed and slid open.

Two figures stood in the doorway. One looking pleasantly surprised and the other looking totally bemused. The shorter of the two stepped forwards interestedly. The idea that he was walking into a trap crossed his mind, but he pushed it aside. Where was the excitement without the risk?

"Now then, now then…" he jumped across the floor towards the aliens, looking them upside down. His gaze lingered longer on the male, his brow furrowing in recognition. "Do I know you?"

How the Doctor could recognise one of the creatures from another Evie didn't know; they both looked the same to her. As the man moved around examining the ship closely she watched, waiting for the perfect moment. The Slitheen watched him. Korst reached for a gun while the Doctor had his back turned and his concentration was focused on whatever he was doing or looking at.

"Doctor!" Evie cried as a warning, seeing the alien raise his weapon. The man spun around as she wriggled out from underneath the control panel, not even caring that clawed fists were immediately wrapped around her arms as Hisk took hold of her roughly.

"Morning." The Doctor said, grinning at her. Evie grinned at the look on his face; relief and steely determination mixed together. She couldn't stay angry at him for not coming sooner. Besides, he was here now.

"Alright?" She replied. Then she glanced at the second man, smiling shyly.

"Miss Jones… are you hurt?" He asked, noticing the blood stained material round her arm. He also took in the ripped nightgown, which was now sleeveless and barely long enough to cover her modesty. She shrugged.

"It's not too bad. I caught it on the strap when I got free." She explained.

The Doctor was worried; her face had lost its colour and her eyes had lost their sparkle. She looked drained and weak. The Timelord could hear her raggedy breaths coming unevenly and obviously quite painfully. "That's my girl!" He said light-heartedly, not wanting to worry her. Evie smiled back, as brightly as she could manage, her heart leaping in her chest proudly.

"I am Korst Gogg Thek Lutiven-Day Slitheen." The male said, disrupting the moment between the Timelord and the girl. "This is my wife, Hisk Dreb Rox."

"Ahhh… I thought I knew you… kidnapping teenagers is becoming your thing, isn't it?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "First Luke Smith and now Evie."

"You have something that we want." The Slitheen said, ignoring the Doctor's accusations. "A swap… the Ruby for the girl."

The Doctor pulled Evie's necklace out of one of his many pockets and held it up. "Oh yes… the Gallifreyan Ruby… beautiful."

"And worth a fortune! Especially to the right buyer." Hisk said greedily, snatching for it. As she leant forwards, her grip on Evie's arm loosened enough for the teenager to yank herself free from her grip and half stumble, half fall towards her rescuers. The Doctor grabbed her and pushed her into Mr Darcy's arms, safely behind him.

"You stupid woman!" Korst screeched as the man scooped the teenager up and hurried outside with her. The Doctor grinned and pocketed the necklace quickly. As he turned he aimed the sonic screwdriver at the control panel before diving through the door which was already closing. A whirring noise filled the air and, with a shimmer, the taller man realised that the ship was gone.

"What just happened?" Mr Darcy asked, still holding Evie's now unconscious body in his strong arms.

"I've sent them home, back to Raxacoricofallapatorius. The Slitheen are always in trouble… they'll get what they deserve. That was almost too easy..." He said brightly almost skipping as he walked. Any solution to a problem where he didn't end up with blood on his hands was a good solution in his book. Evie was back, they still had the Ruby and the Slitheen were gone. Brilliant!

"Back to… to where?"

"Raxacoricofallapatorius." The Doctor said quickly, as though it was easier to say it fast. "Now… Darcy we need to get Evie back to the TARDIS and take a look at that arm."

They hurried back to the blue box and Darcy gently laid the teenager on a bed in one of the bedrooms. The Doctor untied her makeshift bandage and winced at the gash in her arm. Evidently those straps hadn't just been made of leather.

He did what he could for the teenager and then the men left her to rest. Darcy had forced the Doctor to admit that she wasn't really his sister. At first the nineteenth century man had been shocked but then, as he pointed out, this was all most extraordinary.

"May I say goodbye?" Mr Darcy asked as the Doctor told him that they were leaving. A glint appeared in the Timelord's eyes as he nodded and started messing with the controls. The Gentleman made his way back to the bedroom, where Evie was still lying unconscious on the bed.

He sat beside her, gently brushing the hair off her face with the back of his fingers. She looked so young, so innocent – not at all like the women had he heard of who travelled alone with men. But looks could be deceiving and he knew that she wasn't like anyone he'd ever met. She was brave and strong and totally brilliant. There was something special about Evie Jones.

He'd learnt so much from talking to and observing the young woman and the mysterious Doctor. Their meeting had changed him forever. He'd never be able to forget the events of the last few days. He decided that he would never judge on appearances or first impressions again. Bending down he kissed her lightly on her soft, deep pink lips.

"You're magnificent." He whispered as he turned to leave.

Evie sighed and cuddled into the sheets as Darcy's footsteps receded and the bedroom door was closed. She blinked several times, sensing that someone had been in the room and raised her uninjured hand to her lips, which seemed to be tingling. With another sigh, her eyebrows furrowed as she struggled to understand, she tried to drop back into her uneasy sleep.

"Evie?" The Doctor whispered, entering the room. The teenager moaned, pretending to be annoyed with him.

"First of all you leave me to be kidnapped by aliens, then you take your time rescuing me and NOW you wake me up?" She said, raising an eyebrow, a smirk playing about her lips. The man grinned, realising at once that she was playing with him.

"Sorry… listen, do you want me to drop you off at home?" He asked, putting his head on one side. Evie's face fell.

"Oh…"

"Not that I want to get rid of you!" He said quickly, noticing her expression. "I just thought that maybe you'd want…"

"No!" The teenager said quickly. "No… I want to stay with you for as long as you'll let me."

"That's sorted then." The Doctor agreed with a beaming smile and a nod. "Just one question… where did you get this necklace?" He held up the Ruby, which Evie held out her hand for. Shaking his head, he pocketed it once more. "No… I'd better keep hold of it."

She sighed and closed her eyes with a complacent smile, sleep washing over her in comforting waves. "It was my mother's." She informed him, unable to stay awake any longer. She hardly cared that she could hardly picture her mother's face anymore. Evie didn't have a clue what the woman had looked like. She hadn't realised before that this was the case - there were no photos at her grandparents. But now it seemed... odd... "I took it when she... Did you say goodbye for me? Did you say goodbye to the Bennets?"

He nodded wordlessly and she blinked several times before her eyes closed properly. The Doctor's mind whirred as he gazed at the sleeping girl. The Ruby had belonged to Evie's mother? How was that possible… unless? No. He shook his head with a slightly amused smile. That was a crazy thought. He would know… surely he would know.

Pulling the door closed behind him the Doctor headed back to the controls, failing to notice the shimmering cloud of golden particles dancing around the teenager's injured arm, repairing it in seconds so that it looked brand new.

– The End –


End file.
